noun
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the act of deleting or fact of being deleted
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a deleted passage, word, etc, in text
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the loss or absence of a section of a chromosome
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of deletion
1580–90; < Latin dēlētiōn- (stem of dēlētiō ) a destroying, equivalent to dēlēt ( us ) ( see delete) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Deletion is the process of erasing or removing something, like the deletion of all the spam emails from your in-box or a newspaper editor's deletion of extraneous information in a draft of an article. Deletion is a type of editing, especially when you cross out lines that don't work in a given piece: "I'm just not sure about the deletion of that last paragraph." When it's used in the context of computers, deletion is the loss or removal of data, like the deletion of files that were taking up too much space on your hard drive. In genetics, when a gene or part of a chromosome is missing, that's also a deletion.
Vocabulary lists containing deletion
Genetics - Middle School
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Genetics - High School
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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.
They were two of the smallest companies by market capitalization, thus making them vulnerable to deletion.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
The law also allows children to request the permanent deletion of a video in which they feature after they turn 18.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
The deletion of such a large number of names has sharpened concerns over errors, exclusion risks and the criteria used to determine "valid" voters.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
The deletion of the pyruvate decarboxylase gene fine-tuned the fungus's metabolism, reducing the amount of nutrients needed for protein production.
From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2025
In August’s case, the doctors were able to identify one of the “single nucleotide deletion mutations” that made war on his face.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
