delete

verb

de·​lete di-ˈlēt 

dē-

deleted; deleting

transitive verb

: to eliminate especially by blotting out, cutting out, or erasing

delete a passage in a manuscript

delete a computer file

The email was accidentally deleted.

deletable

di-ˈlē-tə-bəl 

dē-

adjective

an easily deletable photo

Synonyms of delete

• cancel
• erase
• remove
• censor

Examples of delete in a Sentence

Delete this name from the list.

When the movie was shown on TV all the swearwords had been deleted.

Recent Examples on the Web

Designed to solve dorm room console storage struggles, this officially licensed 5TB Seagate Game Drive lets gamers vault their entire library without deleting titles. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

Then, Replit’s AI agent deleted his app’s production database, which contained records on over a thousand executives and companies. — Brian Greenberg, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

ZacDoor’s channel risked being permanently deleted by YouTube. — Kyle MacNeill, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026

In opposition to, say, Hinge (the dating app famously designed to be deleted), these brands seem to be betting that there are an endless amount of features for women to continually improve. — Jaimie Potters, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin deletus, past participle of delēre to wipe out, destroy

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing delete

• delete key

Rhymes for delete

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

delete

verb

de·​lete di-ˈlēt 

deleted; deleting

: to eliminate especially by blotting out, cutting out, or erasing

delete a part of the story

delete a computer file

deletion

di-ˈlē-shən

noun