Also called dropped domain · dropped name
Deleted domain, explained
For .com and most generic TLDs, an unrenewed name typically passes through the registrar's grace period, a 30-day redemption period in which the old owner can still restore it for a fee, and 5 days of pending delete, after which the registry deletes it. Verisign deletes expired .com and .net names in a daily run that investors call the drop. A name its registrar cancels within the 5-day Add Grace Period after registration is deleted without going through redemption. Country-code TLDs set their own timelines.
Most valuable expiring names never reach deletion: registrars sell many of them in expiry auctions first, and drop-catching services grab many of the rest the instant they delete. What appears on daily deleted lists is mostly names nobody wanted at auction. Check a deleted name's history before registering it, because a past of spam, malware or trademark use can follow it. Deletion also resets the creation date, so a re-registered name starts with no registration age.
Example. A name that expired in the spring, drew no bids in the registrar's expiry auction and finished pending delete becomes a deleted domain that anyone can register at the standard fee.
Go deeper Expired Domains and Drop Catching: How the Domain Lifecycle Works
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