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
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.
Another post, now deleted, claimed a bake sale at a Delaware polling place was intended to sway votes, a potential violation of election law. Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024 Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign via email for comment but has not been able to contact Meyer, who has deleted all of his social media accounts. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Concerns about hacking sparked false claims from conservative pundits that voting machines deleted Trump votes and changed them to President Joe Biden. Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024 Lack of access to backups can happen because of physical damage to infrastructure, data corruption or an attacker either encrypting or deleting them. Simon Jelley, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for delete 

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 23 Nov. 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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