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.

Fun fact: The deli is credited with inventing the sailor sandwich. —

Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 2 Dec. 2024 The deli survived the 2001 Cincinnati protests as well as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. —

Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 26 Nov. 2024 Ten people died after eating Boar’s Head deli meat in a listeria outbreak that hospitalized dozens of others. —

Emily Schmall, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024 Although turkey farmers are busy year-round raising birds for deli meats or turkey legs, Thanksgiving is undeniably the holiday with the highest demand for the lean meat. —

Solcyré Burga, TIME, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deli