plural delis
: a store where ready-to-eat food products (such as cooked meats and prepared salads) are sold : delicatessen
You shuffle off to the deli and pick up a pastrami-on-rye and an egg cream. The bald man behind the counter whistles cheerfully as he slices the meat.—
Jay McInerney
Jay McInerneySixth Avenue in midtown was once lined with convenient, low-priced delis, cafeterias, coffee shops, and the like.—Brendan Gill
Brendan Gill
also
: the food sold at a delicatessen
If you're hungry for deli in Miami, only the Rascal House will do. —Norman Kolpas
Norman Kolpas … a neat, orderly, well-lighted place so clean you could eat deli off the floor … —Jack Fincher
—often used before another noun Jack Fincher deli meats/platters
waiting in line at the deli counter
Examples of deli in a Sentence
We bought sandwiches and drinks at the deli.
Recent Examples on the Web
The affected pasta has been used in a variety of prepared meals and deli salads sold under various brands.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Grab a rotisserie chicken from the deli to keep this recipe super quick.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2025
At its height in 2017, there were 150 Farm Bank deli counters slinging cheese that supposedly came from the company’s farms.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Owner Gary Leybman offers unique deli sandwiches and sides inspired by his childhood in Belarus, with a heavy dose of Cincinnati influences.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deli
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Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Grab a rotisserie chicken from the deli to keep this recipe super quick.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2025
At its height in 2017, there were 150 Farm Bank deli counters slinging cheese that supposedly came from the company’s farms.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Owner Gary Leybman offers unique deli sandwiches and sides inspired by his childhood in Belarus, with a heavy dose of Cincinnati influences.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deli
Cite this Entry
“Deli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deli. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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