də̇ˈlēt, dēˈ-, usu -ēd.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin deletus, past participle of delēre to wipe out, destroy, fr, de- + -lēre (from the root of linere to smear) — more at lime
: to reduce to nullity: as
a. archaic : destroy , annihilate
b. : to reject by physically obscuring (as by blotting out, scratching out, or cutting out) or by excluding or marking for exclusion during further processing (as retyping or printing)
delete the third paragraph
his name was deleted from the list
: erase , expunge , dele
c. : to eliminate as a factor or a matter for consideration
new processes will probably ultimately delete this crop from the economy
it is impossible to delete religious considerations and retain a clear view of colonial history
Synonyms: see erase