deletion

American  

[dih-lee-shuhn] / dɪˈli ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of deleting.

2. the state of being deleted.

3. a deleted word, passage, etc.

4. Genetics. a type of chromosomal aberration in which a segment of the chromosome is removed or lost.

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deletion British  

/ dɪˈliːʃən /

noun

1. the act of deleting or fact of being deleted

2. a deleted passage, word, etc, in text

3. the loss or absence of a section of a chromosome

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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.

Example Sentences

The agent even hunted down the credentials it needed to execute the deletion.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 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

As an added safeguard, the platform can include a process known as homology-based deletion, which allows scientists to remove the inserted genetic cassette if necessary.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

Its deletion has been condemned by human rights campaigners and by a senior congressional aide who drafted the law requiring it.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 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