plural delis
: 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
Jay McInerneySixth Avenue in midtown was once lined with convenient, low-priced delis, cafeterias, coffee shops, and the like.—Brendan Gill
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
Norman Kolpas … a neat, orderly, well-lighted place so clean you could eat deli off the floor … —Jack Fincher
—often used before another noun Jack Fincher 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
For convenient snacks and take-away foods, there’s a gourmet market, Dean & DeLuca, and Island Country Markets, with a bakery, deli, wines, and barista.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2024
What’s inside: Along with the usual dairy, frozen food, seafood, meat and fresh produce departments, the Homestead Publix has a full-service bakery and deli.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 30 May 2024
Your articles — including about the state of pizza in New York and the Jewish deli scene — seem to pique the interest of readers across the country.
—Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 29 May 2024
Their latest culinary venture will be a small lunch deli with pantry items called Lone Pine Larder.
—Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for deli 
Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2024
What’s inside: Along with the usual dairy, frozen food, seafood, meat and fresh produce departments, the Homestead Publix has a full-service bakery and deli.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 30 May 2024
Your articles — including about the state of pizza in New York and the Jewish deli scene — seem to pique the interest of readers across the country.
—Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 29 May 2024
Their latest culinary venture will be a small lunch deli with pantry items called Lone Pine Larder.
—Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for deli
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deli.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deli
Cite this Entry
“Deli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deli. Accessed 9 Jun. 2024.
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