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

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on Flock Safety to delete the personal data of people without a criminal record and to answer questions about the use of that data in a letter to Flock CEO Garrett Langley on Sunday. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026

Bryant advised Van Rootselaar about how to keep her plot a secret by deleting online messages and using virtual private networks, officials said. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Noun

Mayor Karen Bass’ press relations office communicates through WhatsApp messages that auto-delete every 24 hours, potentially shielding the messages from public records requests, according to three sources familiar with the office. — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Hitting the delete, unsubscribe and hide buttons can be natural reactions in a world that promotes consumerism. — John Hall, Forbes.com, 29 May 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