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

Alberto Briseno, a section chief for ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, wrote in a declaration that ICE personnel deleted the file after it was discovered and it was not used for law enforcement purposes. — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 17 July 2026

The following year, Garner commemorated their third anniversary with her own Instagram tribute featuring a photo from their wedding day, though that post has since been deleted. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

The affidavit also said Roper admitted to deleting text messages between him and Erving. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

The affidavit reportedly alleges Erving drowned after entering the water, but instead of calling 911, Roper and the juvenile discarded Erving's clothing, deleted messages from his cellphone, threw the phone from a moving vehicle and left the scene. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 14 July 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