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

He was accused of failing to cooperate in the NCAA investigation and deleting text messages with Conor Stalions, a recruiting staffer who coordinated an off-campus, advance-scouting operation. —Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

That can be dangerous too, of course, because my first impulse after writing anything is to delete it entirely. —Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025

Despite finding these old videos cringey, McRae won’t delete them. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2025

Photographs are matched with government records and are deleted within 12 hours, according to the program. —Ashley J. Dimella , Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025

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