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

The building, adjacent to Medical Center East's south tower, used to be a dorm for students and housed a barber shop in the front and a deli in the back. —Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025

Although the bacterium can contaminate many types of food, cheeses or deli meats that are kept in cold storage for long periods in stores or at home are a place where listeria can keep growing. —Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025

The Blue Springs deli has soft opened at 1221 NE Coronado Drive and will celebrate its grand opening Monday. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2025

The street is also home to Bridges Nepali restaurant, Morsel & Nosh, a small grocery and deli, and Sidewinder coffee shop. —Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

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