Synonyms

delete

American

[dih-leet] / dɪˈlit /

verb (used with object)

deleted, deleting

to strike out or remove (something written or printed); cancel; erase; expunge.

Synonyms:

eradicate

delete British

/ dɪˈliːt /

verb

(tr) to remove (something printed or written); erase; cancel; strike out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Related Words

See cancel.

Other Word Forms

deletable adjective
redelete verb (used with object)
undeleted adjective

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023