deletion

noun

de·​le·​tion di-ˈlē-shən 

dē-

1

: the act of deleting

2

a

: something deleted

b(1)

: the absence of a section of genetic material from a gene or chromosome

(2)

: the mutational process that results in a deletion

Synonyms of deletion

• omission

Examples of deletion in a Sentence

one of the deletions from the final cut of the movie turned out to be my one line of dialogue

Recent Examples on the Web

The founding generation of screen actors, who fought hard and risked much to establish a labor union for the profession, would still likely balk at the deletion of the name. —Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026

Scriven also pointed parents to the deletion requests page on Lifetouch's website. —Joe Brandt, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

Privacy advocates argue that any ambiguity around storage or deletion timelines weakens public confidence. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026

Often there are gaps or deliberate deletions from the historical record. —Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin deletion-, deletio destruction, from delēre

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deletion

• accretion
• completion
• concretion
• depletion
• excretion
• repletion
• secretion
• carburetion
• grecian
• hypersecretion

Medical Definition

deletion

noun

de·​le·​tion di-ˈlē-shən 

1

: the absence of a section of genetic material from a gene or chromosome

2

: the mutational process that results in a deletion