delete
Americanverb (used with object)
-
deletes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deleted,
past participle, past
-
deleting
present participle
verb
Usage
What is basic definition of delete? Delete means to remove or destroy something, specifically something that is written, printed, or stored on a computer. Before the Internet, delete often referred to removing something from drafts of books, letters, newspapers, and other materials. Today, delete often refers to either hitting a key on a keyboard that erases text or telling a computer to get rid of a file, as by placing a document in the trash can. A person may also want to delete (deactivate) a social media account.
- Real-life examples: When you’re writing an essay, you might delete some paragraphs and add others. To better use data storage space, you might delete all of your junk email or delete a bunch of photos from your smartphone.
- Used in a sentence: The reporter deleted the final two paragraphs of the story in order to make it shorter.
Synonym Usage
See cancel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deletesimple
-
deletessimple
-
have deletedperfect
-
has deletedperfect
-
am deletingprogressive
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are deletingprogressive
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is deletingprogressive
-
have been deletingperfect progressive
-
has been deletingperfect progressive
Past
-
deletedsimple
-
had deletedperfect
-
was deletingprogressive
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were deletingprogressive
-
had been deletingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of delete
1485–95; < Latin dēlētus (past participle of dēlēre to destroy), equivalent to dēl- destroy + -ē- thematic vowel + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
The author looked at the computer screen in horror. With one keystroke she had deleted her entire manuscript. Delete means to erase. Delete has its roots in Latin and was first used to mean destroy. In modern usage, delete means to remove completely. Delete used in writing means to edit by removing, often done by drawing a line through the text to be deleted . This process is also called “blue-penciling,” due to the use of the blue colored pencil that some editors use.
Vocabulary lists containing delete
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11
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Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Fear and Loathing in Cleveland: Trump's RNC Acceptance Speech
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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.
See Examples For:
Facebook’s promises to detect and delete misinformation and hate speech were similarly “deceptive,” Mathew wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
You don’t have to uninstall any apps or delete Facebook, though you could try it too.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
Or to delete the Insta account she dubs “Carrie Red.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Takahashi, however, said TikTok was "no longer obliged to delete" the videos in question because the anonymous user behind them had taken them down several months after the lawsuit began.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
I tell Ms. Blinny, “But can you delete it?”
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
When a foreign company transfers funds, the U.S. clearing bank effectively deletes dollars from the foreign company’s account and adds them to the other party’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Claude-powered AI coding agent deletes entire company database in 9 seconds.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
He said he deletes the entries of ICE agents who have quit.
From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2026
“Supervisor Barger’s iPhone auto-delete setting is set to 30 days. She also manually deletes her texts sometimes,” Barger spokesperson Helen Chavez Garcia said last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025
Ben deletes, retypes: What are the differences between America's far past and its recent past?
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
When the researchers deleted MTCH2, far fewer cells successfully developed into mature fat cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
That firm, SoCal Strategies, has since deleted its website and social media accounts.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026
Even after discovering the leaks, the military continued to use the vehicles until the end of the exercise due to a lack of alternatives and the soldiers deleted the videos, DN reported.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
While the cleaning cannot be done without video access, customers can request to have their data deleted after the cleaning.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
No thanks, Grace started to reply, then looked at the letters and deleted them.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
Agents typically know to ask permission before doing major things like making purchases or deleting files, but other than that, they can have free rein.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Rather, he said by deleting duplicated language in the charter, the rules will be easier to understand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Although the account itself is no longer viewable on the platform, the Tokyo District Court will rule on whether TikTok was responsible for deleting the posts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The lawsuit claims that the Education Department gave servicers instructions, known as a change request, on how to process these group loan discharges, including deleting credit trade lines.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
He wrote for a long time, and I imagined him typing and deleting, typing and deleting.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
