plural delis
: 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
Jay McInerneySixth Avenue in midtown was once lined with convenient, low-priced delis, cafeterias, coffee shops, and the like.—Brendan Gill
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
Norman Kolpas … a neat, orderly, well-lighted place so clean you could eat deli off the floor … —Jack Fincher
—often used before another noun Jack Fincher 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 32-year-old victim left his car in front of a deli on Westchester Ave.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
The lucky player purchased her ticket for $10 in lieu of dessert during lunch with a friend at a deli in Dundalk, lottery officials said.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
This recipe also happens to be a great way to use up leftover ham the day after a holiday, but deli slices work just as well anytime of year.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2025
Instead, the trash was uniquely New York: countertops from an old deli and flooring that incorporated wood from the apartment’s roof, which was pulled down in the renovation.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deli
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Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
The lucky player purchased her ticket for $10 in lieu of dessert during lunch with a friend at a deli in Dundalk, lottery officials said.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
This recipe also happens to be a great way to use up leftover ham the day after a holiday, but deli slices work just as well anytime of year.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2025
Instead, the trash was uniquely New York: countertops from an old deli and flooring that incorporated wood from the apartment’s roof, which was pulled down in the renovation.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deli
Cite this Entry
“Deli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deli. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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