delete

1 of 2

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

delete

2 of 2

noun

variant of delete key

computers

: a key on a computer keyboard that when pressed deletes either a selected item (such as an icon or a block of text) or the character that immediately follows the cursor in a document

Synonyms of delete

Verb

• cancel
• erase
• remove
• censor

Examples of delete in a Sentence

Verb

Delete this name from the list.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

When the site’s moderator began deleting pages in June, the agents responded by creating backup pages to dodge the cleanup. — Reuters, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

Good Good deleted the advertisement as soon as the backlash began and apologized a day later, but the damage was done. — Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Two top executives have exited Good Good Golf after the company posted and then deleted an ad criticized for making light of violence against women. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Data procured by Tarrant’s cameras is deleted after 30 days unless there’s reasonable cause to keep it longer. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

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