deli

noun

ˈde-lē 

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

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

Augie’s Montreal Deli was the Bay Area’s first Canadian deli. —Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

Richard didn’t scratch the $10 ticket his dad picked up from a Westport deli just yet. —Daniella Segura, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

Feel free to substitute with other types of deli meats. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2024

Twin 19-year-old sisters were both stabbed in a Brooklyn deli early Sunday, leaving one dead and the other receiving treatment in hospital, police and witnesses said. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024

For these reasons, the CDC recommends that people in high-risk groups avoid foods commonly contaminated with listeria, including unpasteurized soft cheeses, premade deli salads, and cold-cuts, meats and cheeses that were sliced at a deli but have not been reheated. —Melinda Wenner Moyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024

The word means to fuss or waste time in Yiddish, though dining at this Jewish deli is always time well spent. —Usa Today Network, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024

Owners Joe Lindsay and Emma Brewster offer hearty bagels, sandwiches, and deli sides (and Intelligentsia coffee to boot) in a homey space decorated with vintage photographs and paintings by local artists. —Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2024

They can be found in the olive bar in your grocery store's deli section. —Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

deli

noun

ˈdel-ē 

plural delis

: delicatessen sense 2