deli

noun

\ ˈde-lē

plural delis

Definition of deli

: a store where ready-to-eat food products (such as cooked meats and prepared salads) are sold : delicatessen You shuffle off to the deli and pick up a pastrami-on-rye and an egg cream. The bald man behind the counter whistles cheerfully as he slices the meat.— Jay McInerney Sixth Avenue in midtown was once lined with convenient, low-priced delis, cafeterias, coffee shops, and the like.— Brendan Gill also : the food sold at a delicatessen If you're hungry for deli in Miami, only the Rascal House will do. — Norman Kolpas … a neat, orderly, well-lighted place so clean you could eat deli off the floor … — Jack Fincher —often used before another noun deli meats/platters waiting in line at the deli counter

Examples of deli in a Sentence

We bought sandwiches and drinks at the deli.

Recent Examples on the Web

The now-open Naperville store includes a fresh produce section, bakery and Indian-style deli. — Erin Hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville's growing Asian population draws new businesses to long-vacant spots," 31 Mar. 2018 Food workers include those who work at restaurants, bars, fast food establishments and delis. — Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit asking all food workers to get a Hepatitis A vaccine," 23 Jan. 2018 Fortunately, there was a kosher deli next to the hotel. — Marc Myers, WSJ, "Itzhak Perlman Became a Star on TV at Age 13," 8 Jan. 2019 All eight men linked to the grisly murder of a 15-year-old who was hacked to death with a machete outside of a New York City deli have been arraigned on charges of murder, manslaughter and gang assault, according to reports. — Jajuan M. Morris-guity, Fox News, "8 gang-affiliated men charged with murder in fatal stabbing of Bronx teen," 27 June 2018 Inside the Box Cafe offers deli-style sandwiches that fight hunger and homeless in the area. Can’t patronize any of these locations in person? — Jane Mosbacher Morris, Marie Claire, "5 Easy Ways to Use Your Wallet to Create Real Change," 31 Jan. 2019 Many of the people gathered at the growing memorial in front of the deli marched a block away to the corner where Junior died. — CBS News, "Community holds prayer service, unveils mural for teen slain by gang," 2 July 2018 The deli will replace the Reservoir restaurant at the hotel. — Jenn Harris, latimes.com, "Restaurateur Bill Chait (the guy who brought you Bestia) to open his first L.A. restaurant in over 2 years," 12 June 2018 The deli also sold prepared take-home dishes such as ravioli and lasagna in a meat-and-porcini-mushroom sauce. — Benjy Egel, sacbee, "Old town Elk Grove deli specializing in loaded hot dogs closes," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deli.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.