deli

noun

ˈde-lē 

plural delis

: a store or department of 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 recipes are created by his partner, Matt Benzel, who owns deli Tagliare in Montana. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026

Students collected large amounts of peanut butter, jelly, bread and deli items to prepare for the event. —Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 27 Mar. 2026

Or, at least, differentiating that the sandwiches Wawa and other convenience stores and delis in the area sell are in fact called hoagies. —Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026

Along with an extensive menu, the market has premium cuts of meat, deli meats and cheese, groceries and produce. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for delicatessen

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for deli

• belly
• felly
• jelly
• kellie
• melly
• nellie
• nelly
• shelly
• skelly
• smellie
• smelly
• tele

Kids Definition

deli

noun

ˈdel-ē 

plural delis

: delicatessen sense 2