Delete

/dɪˈliːt/

verbBeginner🔥Very CommonAction
2 meanings3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

To remove or erase something, typically text, a file, or information.

/dɪˈliːt/

verbneutralBeginner
Action

To remove or erase something.

I deleted the old photos from my phone.

💡 Simply: Imagine you have a messy drawing on your tablet, and you use the eraser tool to make it clean. Deleting is like that eraser – it gets rid of things! For example, you might delete a text message you didn't mean to send.

👶 For kids: To make something go away, like when you erase something on paper.

More Examples

2

Can you please delete the error from the code?

3

He decided to delete his social media account.

How It's Used

Technology

"I accidentally deleted the file."

Communication

"Please delete the unnecessary emails."

2

To intentionally omit or exclude something from a larger entity or set.

/dɪˈliːt/

verbneutralIntermediate
Action

To omit or exclude.

The professor deleted the irrelevant details from the presentation.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're making a list, and you decide that one item isn't important. Deleting it is like taking that item off the list – you don't want it there anymore! For example, you might delete unnecessary ingredients from a recipe.

👶 For kids: To not include something or to leave it out.

More Examples

2

She decided to delete the negative comments from the article.

3

We have to delete some steps to finish the work faster

How It's Used

Writing

"The editor deleted the redundant sentences."

General

"I had to delete some friends from my contact list."

Tip:Think of deleting a chapter from a book to make it shorter – you're leaving it out.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

From Latin *delēre* meaning 'to erase, destroy'. It entered English in the 15th century.

Used in scientific and legal contexts, for the formal erasure of information, and for the physical removal of documents.

Memory tip

Think of a computer key labeled 'Delete' – it erases things.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to erase, destroy"

delete a filedelete an emaildelete the appdelete the worddelete the text

Common misspellings

deletdletedeleet

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written