deli
Americannoun
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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.
Or, at least, love adjacent to a very good Italian deli.
From Salon • Jul. 11, 2026
JPMorgan filed a motion late Monday in a California federal court to vacate the award to its former wealth adviser, Brent Ryan Bodner, over the deli meats gone awry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
But that connected me to the deli guy and I just walked out of there feeling like I belong to a place.
From Slate • Jun. 20, 2026
You turn around and a beautiful building is gone or a great deli is out of business.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
He'd lived in the neighborhood since forever and remembered our place from back when it was a Jewish deli.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
