deletion

noun

de·​le·​tion di-ˈlē-shən 

dē-

1

: the act of deleting

2

a

: something deleted

b(1)

: the absence of a section of genetic material from a gene or chromosome

(2)

: the mutational process that results in a deletion

Synonyms of deletion

• omission

Examples of deletion in a Sentence

one of the deletions from the final cut of the movie turned out to be my one line of dialogue

Recent Examples on the Web

One message warned others about an alphabetical deletion sweep and suggested another page as an alternative location. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

Privacy improves when deletion is part of the architecture, not a policy someone must remember to enforce later. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Both Good Good and Callaway issued apologies for the ad in the days following its deletion. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Parents may contact support to update information, withdraw a child, request deletion of personal data, or have a profile reviewed or removed. — Ethan M. Stone, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin deletion-, deletio destruction, from delēre

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deletion

• accretion
• completion
• concretion
• depletion
• excretion
• repletion
• secretion
• carburetion
• grecian
• hypersecretion

Medical Definition

deletion

noun

de·​le·​tion di-ˈlē-shən 

1

: the absence of a section of genetic material from a gene or chromosome

2

: the mutational process that results in a deletion