deli

noun

ˈde-lē 

plural delis

: a store or department of 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

Sixth Avenue in midtown was once lined with convenient, low-priced delis, cafeterias, coffee shops, and the like.

—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

… a neat, orderly, well-lighted place so clean you could eat deli off the floor …

—Jack Fincher

—often used before another noun

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

Six Senses Milan will offer 69 rooms and suites, two pools, a rooftop bar, a restaurant and deli, and a huge spa. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Nov. 2025

Some of the choices at the deli counter are better for certain health needs and goals than others. —Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 11 Nov. 2025

Paine, a former hotel chef on Madison Square Park in New York, helped come up with the formula, which includes New York deli-quality meats. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Nov. 2025

Food, at least in its advanced-deli version, was the spiritual center of Caesar’s life. —David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for delicatessen

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for deli

• belly
• felly
• jelly
• kellie
• melly
• nellie
• nelly
• shelly
• skelly
• smellie
• smelly
• tele

Kids Definition

deli

noun

ˈdel-ē 

plural delis

: delicatessen sense 2