delete

The word “delete” means to remove or erase something, especially text or digital data. In plain terms, to get rid of something, usually a file, message, or piece of text.

“Delete” is pronounced dih-LEET (/dɪˈliːt/ in IPA).

Here is “delete” used in a sentence: “She accidentally deleted the entire folder of photos.”

Words with a similar meaning to “delete” include erase, clear, strike, terminate, remove and redact.

The opposite of “delete” — its antonyms — are insert and maintain.

Depending on how it is used, “delete” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “delete” dates back to around 1970 and comes from Latin. From Latin delere, "to destroy or wipe out." The computing sense only caught on in the late 1970s.

“Delete” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Both mean to remove something and they overlap closely, but "delete" is especially common for text or digital data such as files and messages, while "erase" is often used for wiping something physical or clearing a surface. You delete an email and erase a whiteboard.

"Delete" means to erase text or digital data so it is gone, while "remove" more broadly means to take something away, which may relocate it rather than destroy it. Deleting a file erases it; removing a file from a folder might just move it elsewhere.

As a noun, "delete" is the keyboard key used to erase text or files; it typically removes the character to the right of the cursor, while Backspace removes the character to the left. On many keyboards the key is labelled "Del."

The opposite of "delete" is to add or insert new content, and in software an "undo" or "restore" action reverses a deletion. These bring back or introduce content rather than removing it.