From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdelightde‧light1 /dɪˈlaɪt/ ●●○ noun 1 [uncountable]ENJOY/LIKE DOING something a feeling of great pleasure and satisfactionwith/in delight The kids were screaming with delight.to somebody’s delight/to the delight of somebody To the delight of his proud parents, he has made a full recovery.squeal/gasp/cry etc of delight She gave a little gasp of delight.► see thesaurus at pleasure2 [countable]HAPPY something that makes you feel very happy or satisfiedthe delights of something a chance to sample the delights of nearby Viennait is a delight to do something It was a delight to see him so fit and healthy.3 → take delight in (doing) somethingCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesgreat delightIt gave her great delight to tease him about his various girlfriends.sheer/pure delight (=very great)She opened the present and laughed with sheer delight.obvious/evident (=easy to see)Spencer was staring at the girl with obvious delight.verbstake/find delight in something (=enjoy something a lot)He took delight in entertaining guests in his apartment.squeal/scream with delightLucy suddenly saw the sea and screamed with delight.laugh with delight‘That’s a brilliant idea’! she said, laughing with delight.greet something with delightHis suggestion was greeted with delight.phrasesa squeal/gasp/cry etc of delightThe child gave a squeal of delight.a source of delight (=something that gives great pleasure)It’s a beautiful park and a source of delight to most visitors.much to somebody’s delight (also to somebody’s great delight) (=used to say that something gave someone a lot of pleasure)The princess stopped to talk to people, much to the delight of the crowd.
Examples from the Corpus
delight• He is also a great friend of the Festival, and it will be a delight to have him with us again.• Like most other volumes in the Compass Guide series, the book is a delight to look at and read.• Horton takes great delight in learning.• All the build up of delight shrivelled and stripped Jay to lonely self-scourging.• Imagine our delight when we saw your article in the New Yorker.• Is it not a form of self desecration not to cultivate this primeval delight in flowers?• With stylish roman numerals, gold-plated case and soft leather strap, these elegant watches are a pure delight to wear.• To the audience's delight, she agreed to do another number.• Mrs Foster encouraged the staff to avail themselves of the lodge's delights.• The study of Scripture, he suggested, did nothing to hinder an inquisitive man's delight in the study of nature.• Paul's delight at being asked to play the piano for us was clear.• Robin laughed with delight as the birthday cake was carried in.with/in delight• A small cheer emerged from behind and I punched the air with delight.• The wetness of his tongue as it slipped over them made Kate arch her back with delight.• Charlton Heston plays Perry, complete with devilish beard, and he does everything but cackle with delight over his evilness.• The hens clambered in, cackling with delight and greed.• Ragged children run up to approaching cars with delight because motorized vehicles are a rare sight.• The ref was full of Christmas spirit and United's top scorer was dancing with delight.• He emptied it with delight and demanded more, and Odysseus poured for him until finally a drunken sleep overcame him.• And when Cosby finally opens wide and swallows, you watch him light up with delight.the delights of something• By experimenting one will only discover the delights of this neglected, but most versatile medium.• In 1878 he tramped through the Cevennes with a donkey named Modestine and discovered the delights of Travels with a Donkey.• We visited our farming cousins and enjoyed the delights of a life so different from our own.• She was too much on edge to plunge whole-heartedly into the delights of Périgordian cuisine, she'd decided ruefully.• Ordinary mortals walking hereabouts will never know the delights of the fairyland below them.• One of the delights of traveling is gathering such mental snapshot images of places as you journey around.• If only the delights of San José had held Lori for one more week!• It is time to introduce the Treasury to the delights of off-balance-sheet financing.delightdelight2 ●○○ verb [transitive] ENJOY/LIKE DOING somethingto give someone great satisfaction and enjoyment Her fabulous recipes will delight anyone who loves chocolate.delight somebody with something He is delighting audiences with his wit and humour. → delight in something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
delight• Their decision to end cooperation will delight Belgrade.• But nothing delights him more than his futures markets, which are something of a hangover from his trading days.• This movie classic will delight the whole family.delight somebody with something• Jordan delighted the crowd with his spectacular talent.Origin delight2 (1200-1300) Old French delit, from Latin delectare “to please greatly”, from delicere “to attract” 