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.
Seating will be added to the welcome center’s liquor and grocery/deli, offering patrons a spot to enjoy a sandwich with a marsh view. Mike Dojc, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 What's the Dill opened last year in the University District, offering a variety of deli sandwiches made with dill pickles as a low-carb bread alternative. Annalise Frank, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 Both campaigns also, in these last days, invoked Philadelphia’s Jewish delis. Meghan McCarron, Bon Appétit, 29 Oct. 2024 They can be found in the olive bar in your grocery store's deli section. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deli 

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deli was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near deli

Cite this Entry

“Deli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deli. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

deli

noun
plural delis
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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