delete

verb

de·​lete di-ˈlēt How to pronounce delete (audio)
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 adjective
an easily deletable photo

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 Now, Jackson deleted a video celebrating the bill and is desperately trying to salvage his online reputation. Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 Recordings expire after nine months; In a series recording, a maximum of 30 episodes are stored (oldest deleted first which may be in less than 9 months). Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 Just copy and paste the offending email address into the search bar and batch delete everything that pops up. Boone Ashworth Lauren Goode, WIRED, 17 Mar. 2024 On Wednesday, reports that a local office of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, was struck were later deleted from state news wires. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Some of the comments suggest that Jackson originally cross-posted his post-vote explanation video on TikTok, and then deleted it after a wave of backlash. Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024 In response to a FOIA request by Capital & Main on these questions, the FBI sent a CD containing over 1,100 pages of documents largely dated in the late 2000s, of which almost 1,000 pages were deleted, and many of those that remained were duplicated or blacked out. Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 The proposal would also roll back some regulations on natural gas pipelines and delete the majority of references to climate change found in state law. Emily L. Mahoney, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Concerns about hacking sparked false claims from conservative pundits that voting machines deleted Trump votes and changed them to Biden. Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin deletus, past participle of delēre to wipe out, destroy

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of delete was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near delete

Cite this Entry

“Delete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delete. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

delete

verb
de·​lete di-ˈlēt How to pronounce delete (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on delete

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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