delete

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

Synonyms of delete

• cancel
• erase
• remove
• censor

Examples of delete in a Sentence

Delete this name from the list.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Smith then deleted the post, the lawsuit claims. —Clark Kauffman, Des Moines Register, 14 Jan. 2026

The messages between Carillo and Juaritoz were friendly, explains Szulc, who reviewed the account before it was deleted. —Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026

Is it deleted at regular intervals? —R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 13 Jan. 2026

In 2024, Collins sponsored a bill that was drafted in part by the governor’s office to ban offshore wind turbines in state waters and delete most of the references to climate change in state law. —Shauna Muckle, Miami Herald, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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