undelete

U1N1D2E1L1E1T1E1

verb

To recover (a file, record, etc.) from a deleted state; restore.

OriginEnglish delete ← Middle English on- ← Old English on- →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

verbundelete (third-person singular simple present undeletes, present participle undeleting, simple past and past participle undeleted)

present singular third person undeletes · participle present undeleting · participle past undeleted · past undeleted

  1. transitivecomputingTo recover (a file, record, etc.) from a deleted state; restore.

    To undelete (that's un-delete, not undulate — don't get excited) something that you deleted by accident, press Ctrl+Z. You have to do this immediately, like cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or you lose the patient.

    1998, David C. Kay, Microsoft Works 4.5 for Windows For Dummies, page 87

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
unerase

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
  3. Proto-Germanic*anda-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*anda-
  5. Old Englishand-
  6. Old Englishon-
  7. Middle Englishon-
  8. Englishun-
  9. Englishdelete
  10. Englishundelete

From un- + delete.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

undelete. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undelete

MLA

“undelete.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undelete. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “undelete,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undelete.

Source: undelete on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.