delete
deletes
deleting
deleted
Delete means to remove or erase. Regular verb: delete-deleted-deleted.
Meanings
- To remove or erase
- To cross out
- To eliminate from record
Common Collocations
delete a file
delete your account
permanently deleted
delete key
accidentally deleted
Tip for Learners
Delete is common in computing. Permanently deleted cannot be recovered. Delete as adjective is used in Latin (deleatur).
Present Simple
| I | delete |
| you | delete |
| he/she/it | deletes |
| we | delete |
| they | delete |
Examples - Present Simple
- I delete old emails regularly.
- You delete files to save space.
- He deletes his browsing history daily.
- We delete outdated records annually.
- They delete spam messages automatically.
Present Continuous
| I | am deleting |
| you | are deleting |
| he/she/it | is deleting |
| we | are deleting |
| they | are deleting |
Examples - Present Continuous
- I am deleting unnecessary photos from my phone.
- You are deleting the wrong file.
- She is deleting her social media accounts.
- We are deleting duplicate entries from the database.
- They are deleting obsolete data from the system.
Present Perfect
| I | have deleted |
| you | have deleted |
| he/she/it | has deleted |
| we | have deleted |
| they | have deleted |
Examples - Present Perfect
- I have deleted all the temporary files.
- You have deleted important documents accidentally.
- He has deleted his old social media posts.
- We have deleted the corrupted data.
- They have deleted thousands of spam accounts.
Present Perfect Continuous
| I | have been deleting |
| you | have been deleting |
| he/she/it | has been deleting |
| we | have been deleting |
| they | have been deleting |
Examples - Present Perfect Continuous
- I have been deleting files for an hour.
- You have been deleting emails all morning.
- She has been deleting photos since yesterday.
- We have been deleting old records for weeks.
- They have been deleting bots from the platform.
Past Simple
| I | deleted |
| you | deleted |
| he/she/it | deleted |
| we | deleted |
| they | deleted |
Examples - Past Simple
- I deleted the file by mistake.
- You deleted your message before I read it.
- He deleted his account permanently.
- We deleted the evidence of the error.
- They deleted the entire database accidentally.
Past Continuous
| I | was deleting |
| you | were deleting |
| he/she/it | was deleting |
| we | were deleting |
| they | were deleting |
Examples - Past Continuous
- I was deleting files when the system crashed.
- You were deleting emails when I called.
- She was deleting photos when she found the lost one.
- We were deleting old data during the audit.
- They were deleting accounts before the investigation.
Past Perfect
| I | had deleted |
| you | had deleted |
| he/she/it | had deleted |
| we | had deleted |
| they | had deleted |
Examples - Past Perfect
- I had deleted the message before you asked.
- You had deleted the backup before realizing.
- He had deleted all traces before the search.
- We had deleted the files before the breach.
- They had deleted the records before the audit.
Past Perfect Continuous
| I | had been deleting |
| you | had been deleting |
| he/she/it | had been deleting |
| we | had been deleting |
| they | had been deleting |
Examples - Past Perfect Continuous
- I had been deleting files for hours before finishing.
- You had been deleting emails for days.
- She had been deleting old posts for weeks.
- We had been deleting records for months.
- They had been deleting data before the investigation started.
Future Simple
| I | will delete |
| you | will delete |
| he/she/it | will delete |
| we | will delete |
| they | will delete |
Examples - Future Simple
- I will delete these photos after backing them up.
- You will delete the file once you're done.
- He will delete his account next week.
- We will delete outdated information soon.
- They will delete the spam automatically.
Future Continuous
| I | will be deleting |
| you | will be deleting |
| he/she/it | will be deleting |
| we | will be deleting |
| they | will be deleting |
Examples - Future Continuous
- I will be deleting old files all afternoon.
- You will be deleting duplicates during cleanup.
- She will be deleting unused apps tomorrow.
- We will be deleting records throughout the migration.
- They will be deleting inactive accounts all month.
Future Perfect
| I | will have deleted |
| you | will have deleted |
| he/she/it | will have deleted |
| we | will have deleted |
| they | will have deleted |
Examples - Future Perfect
- I will have deleted all the old files by tonight.
- You will have deleted the duplicates by then.
- He will have deleted his history by morning.
- We will have deleted obsolete data by deadline.
- They will have deleted all bots by launch.
Future Perfect Continuous
| I | will have been deleting |
| you | will have been deleting |
| he/she/it | will have been deleting |
| we | will have been deleting |
| they | will have been deleting |
Examples - Future Perfect Continuous
- I will have been deleting files for hours by then.
- You will have been deleting data all day.
- She will have been deleting posts for weeks.
- We will have been deleting records for months.
- They will have been deleting accounts for ages.