deli

noun

ˈde-lē 

plural delis

: a store or department of a store where ready-to-eat food products (such as cooked meats and prepared salads) are sold : delicatessen

You shuffle off to the deli and pick up a pastrami-on-rye and an egg cream. The bald man behind the counter whistles cheerfully as he slices the meat.

—Jay McInerney

Sixth Avenue in midtown was once lined with convenient, low-priced delis, cafeterias, coffee shops, and the like.

—Brendan Gill

also : the food sold at a delicatessen

If you're hungry for deli in Miami, only the Rascal House will do.

—Norman Kolpas

… a neat, orderly, well-lighted place so clean you could eat deli off the floor …

—Jack Fincher

—often used before another noun

deli meats/platters

waiting in line at the deli counter

Examples of deli in a Sentence

We bought sandwiches and drinks at the deli.

Recent Examples on the Web

Joined by Mayor Mamdani, friends and family on Thursday laid to rest an East Village deli worker who police said was shot and killed during a dispute with a troublemaking former customer. —Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026

When sliced deli roast beef is your meat of choice, pull it together in one simple sandwich layered with provolone, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, and mustard. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 30 Apr. 2026

The deadly shooting of a deli worker late Saturday night in Lower Manhattan has left a community in mourning. —Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026

Jose Ignacio Bonilla Garcia, 32, first met the unnamed male victim in the deli, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for delicatessen

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for deli

• belly
• felly
• jelly
• kellie
• melly
• nellie
• nelly
• shelly
• skelly
• smellie
• smelly
• tele

Kids Definition

deli

noun

ˈdel-ē 

plural delis

: delicatessen sense 2