deli
Americannoun
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delis
plural
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a delicatessen.
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food typically sold at a delicatessen, as cold cuts, salads, and pickles.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of deli
First recorded in 1950–55; by shortening
Explanation
A deli is a market where you can buy prepared food or shop for staples including meat and cheese. You might have a favorite neighborhood deli where you go every morning for a bagel and coffee. The word deli is a shortened form, or common nickname, of delicatessen, an American English version of the German delikatessen, the plural of delikatesse, "delicacy," or "fine food." Many delis specialize in the food of a certain region, country, or ethnicity — like a Jewish deli, a German deli, or a Greek deli. You can usually buy sandwiches, salads, drinks, and specialty foods at delis.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Instead, it’s a double-decker sandwich with two deli meats, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing, all layered intricately between slices of thin rye bread.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sat Bains ran a breakfast pop-up on Sunday at a small deli in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, to support local businesses during a difficult time for the hospitality industry nationally.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
And he added that the company operates in an industry niche — prepared deli food — that has a combined $40 billion in U.S. sales.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Admittedly unfamiliar with Armenian food or basturma, Gaines compared the brisket sandwich to a pastrami-and-pickle sandwich at a Jewish deli.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
I delivered food for a small deli in Park Slope.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
There used to be a lot more really good delis in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Schwartz’s, one of Montreal’s most famous delis, has stopped serving the iconic US-made black cherry soda that has been a fixture at the restaurant for decades.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The company changed its name to Restaurant Depot in the 1990s and started serving more food operators across the U.S. including caterers, pizzerias and delis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
You can make the hoagie yourself, or most delis offer catering-size hoagies and sandwich trays, if you’re not in the cooking mood.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2025
Now I get mocked by these groceries, pizza places, ice-cream stores, delis, Chinese places, bakeries, sushi joints, McDonald’ses.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
