delight

1 of 2

noun

de·​light di-ˈlīt How to pronounce delight (audio)
dē-
1
: a high degree of gratification or pleasure : joy
children squealing in delight
also : extreme satisfaction
seems to take delight in the misfortunes of others
2
: something that gives great pleasure
her performance was a delight
3
archaic : the power of affording pleasure
of more delight than hawks or horses beShakespeare

delight

2 of 2

verb

delighted; delighting; delights

intransitive verb

1
: to take great pleasure
delighted in playing the guitar
2
: to give keen enjoyment
a book certain to delight

transitive verb

: to give joy or satisfaction to
Her books delight readers of all ages.
delighter noun

Examples of delight in a Sentence

Noun We watched the fireworks with delight. The kids screamed in delight as they chased one another around the park. To the delight of the children, there were enough cookies for everyone to have two. Some people seem to take great delight in hearing about the misfortunes of others. The trip was a delight. a garden full of tasty delights The magazine is a cook's delight. The stories are a delight to read. Verb The toy delighted the children. The stories will delight readers of all ages.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The week’s biggest stories (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) A look at Kamala Harris’ roots in California Living on the same block as Harris is a delight and an annoyance, her Brentwood neighbors say. Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024 Garrett was eventually pulled for Ryne Stanek, who struck out Shohei Ohtani to stop the bleeding, much to the delight of the cheering fans. Jacob Lev, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024
Verb
The new graphic novel series ensures that Junie B. will continue to delight readers, says Park’s longtime editor, Shana Corey. Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 The creatures have glitter eyes, soft horns, metallic wings, and are sure to delight and surprise the entire family. Toby Rose, Parents, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for delight 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English deliten, from Anglo-French deliter, from Latin delectare, frequentative of delicere to allure, from de- + lacere to allure

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of delight was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near delight

Cite this Entry

“Delight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delight. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

delight

1 of 2 noun
de·​light di-ˈlīt How to pronounce delight (audio)
1
: extreme pleasure or satisfaction : joy
2
: something that gives great pleasure

delight

2 of 2 verb
1
: to take great pleasure
delighted in playing guitar
2
: to give joy or satisfaction to : please greatly
a book sure to delight

More from Merriam-Webster on delight

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