pepperoni

Noun

pepperoni (countable and uncountable, plural pepperonis or pepperoni)

1. A spicy salami-style Italian-American sausage made from cured pork and beef seasoned with pepper.
   • He gave the dog a treat — a dried up skinny, turdy looking, pepperoni sausage.2006, George Galjan, Cops, Donuts, and Murder, page 107
   • She and her two best friends are choreographing a number for the talent show; she’s applied to California Institute of the Arts; and she flirts unabashedly with a cute pizza server. (The better to land a couple of extra pepperonis on her slice without an upcharge.)2019 May 9, Aisha Harris, “‘Jinn’ Review: A Not So Typical Coming-of-Age Story”, in The New York Times
2. Pizza with only tomato sauce, cheese and pepperoni toppings.
   • Yo, Tony, gimme a slice of pepperoni and a coke.
   • There's far more than just hot dogs to feast on too. The pizzas—gigantic, floppy, with a hyperreal waxy sheen—are mythic. They arrive exclusively in cheese, pepperoni, or supreme—the holy trinity—and will run you an eminently affordable $1.99 for a ridiculously huge wedge-shaped slice.2023 June 9, Luke Winkie, “Our Greatest Fast-Food Joint Is Costco”, in Slate, archived from the original on 06 Sep 2023