deli

noun

ˈde-lē

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The deli did not respond to a call for comment on Thursday, Jan. 9. —

Hannah Poukish, Sacramento Bee, 10 Jan. 2025 The Exchequer, 3-5 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 The Exchequer offers a variety of cheese boards featuring a wide selection of Irish cheeses. Dollard & Co., 2-5 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 A food hall and deli offering a wide variety of Irish cheeses. —

Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025 The New York Police Department told USA TODAY officers responded to the deli on Lenox Avenue between 118th and 119th streets about 2:30 p.m. for a report of an assault. —

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025 As the dispute grew heated, the deli worker stepped between his feuding customers in an effort to de-escalate the fight, only for the suspect to spit in the victim’s face. —

Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for deli