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

There are also deleted scenes and a trailer, and an accompanying booklet is stuffed with informative essays and interviews (including an analysis by the always astute film noir expert Travis Woods). —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026

McKinney says the move would give users more power to opt out and delete their data while stripping platforms of a key incentive to scoop up personal preferences in the first place. —Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2026

Hallquist took screenshots but then deleted the comments from his page, thinking Ponto may have been having a bad day. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026

The malware versions are also designed to delete themselves after execution. —Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 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