In the database structured query language (SQL), the DELETE statement is used to remove one or more records from a table. A subset may be defined for deletion using a condition, otherwise all records are removed. Some database management systems (DBMSs), like MySQL, allow deletion of rows from multiple tables with one DELETE statement (this is sometimes called multi-table DELETE).

Delete rows from table pies where column flavor equals Lemon Meringue:

Delete rows in trees, if the value of height is smaller than 80.

Delete all rows from mytable:

Delete rows from mytable using a subquery in the where condition:

Delete rows from mytable using a list of values:

Suppose there is a simple database that lists people and addresses. More than one person can live at a particular address and a person can live at more than one address (this is an example of a many-to-many relationship). The database only has three tables, person, address, and pa, with the following data:

The pa table relates the person and address tables, showing that Joe, Bob and Ann all live at 2001 Main Street, but Joe also takes up residence on Pico Boulevard.