delete

verb

de·​lete di-ˈlēt How to pronounce delete (audio)
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 adjective
an easily deletable photo

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those posts were made as recently as 2021 and have since been deleted as Platner has distanced himself from his past remarks. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025 In early 2022, not long before the suit with Giuffre was settled, his social media accounts were deleted, and on his page on the royal family’s website, his duties were changed to be listed in the past tense. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025 The section featuring his comments were abruptly deleted on YouTube. Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025 Review your pages using the thumbnail carousel at the bottom to rearrange or delete any before saving. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for delete

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of delete was in 1540

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delete. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

delete

verb
de·​lete di-ˈlēt How to pronounce delete (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on delete

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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