delete

delete — 動詞

1. to remove a word, letter, or other mark from something written, for example by c

1.動詞及物A2
釋義

刪去；劃掉

把書寫的文字移除或劃線標記

to remove a word, letter, or other mark from something written, for example by crossing it out or rubbing it off the page.

例句

Selim deleted the last sentence of his letter before mailing it.

Selim 在寄信前刪去了信上最後一句話。

delete + from + [document] to correct before sending

Soraya used a pencil to delete the wrong answers on her test paper.

Soraya 用鉛筆把考卷上寫錯的答案劃掉。

同義詞
  • cross out

    more specific — means drawing a line through written text; 'delete' is broader

  • erase

    implies rubbing off or removing without a trace; 'delete' can mean crossing out visibly

  • remove

    more general — doesn't specify the method of removal

  • strike through

    formal/editorial — used in proofreading marks

反義詞
  • add

    to put text in rather than take it out

  • insert

    to place new text between existing text

文法句型

delete + noun phrase (text that was written)

delete + noun phrase + from + noun phrase

用法筆記

The object is almost always a piece of text — a word, sentence, paragraph, name, or list entry. This sense is less common in everyday speech than the digital sense; it appears most often in editing and proofreading contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I deleted the wrong from the list.
✅I deleted the wrong name from the list.
💡'delete' is transitive and must be followed by a direct object (what you delete).
❌She deleted the sentence and then wrote it again.' (sounds like a computer action).
✅She crossed out the sentence and rewrote it.
💡for physical pen-and-paper deletion, 'cross out' or 'strike out' is more natural than 'delete'.

2. to remove information, files, or other digital content from a computer, phone, o

2.動詞及物A1
釋義

刪除

清除儲存在電腦或裝置中的資料

to remove information, files, or other digital content from a computer, phone, or similar device so that it is no longer there — for example, getting rid of old emails or erasing an unwanted photo.

例句

Christopher accidentally deleted the photo album from his phone last night.

Christopher 昨晚不小心從手機刪除了相簿。

delete + from + [device]; adverb: accidentally

Tanvi deleted all the old emails to free up space on her laptop.

Tanvi 刪除了所有舊郵件，釋放筆電的儲存空間。

同義詞
  • erase

    stronger implication of complete, irreversible removal; common in computing contexts

  • remove

    more general; can mean moving to trash rather than permanent deletion

  • wipe

    informal; implies clearing everything, e.g. 'wipe the hard drive'

  • clear

    used with cache, history, or browsing data specifically

反義詞
  • save

    to keep a copy rather than remove

  • restore

    to bring back something that was deleted

  • keep

    to decide not to delete

文法句型

delete + noun phrase (digital content)

delete + noun phrase + from + noun phrase

be deleted (passive)

用法筆記

By far the most common modern sense. The object can be any digital item: a file, photo, email, message, contact, app, account, or piece of data. Frequently appears with 'accidentally', 'by mistake', or 'permanently'. The passive form ('The file was deleted') is very common in error messages and technical writing.

常見錯誤

❌I deleted from my phone the photo.
✅I deleted the photo from my phone.
💡the direct object must come immediately after 'delete'; the location follows 'from'.
❌The computer deleted the virus.' (when it happened automatically).
✅The antivirus software deleted the infected file.
💡name the agent that performed the deletion.