---
title: "DROP ROUTINE"
id: sql-droproutine
pg_version: "20devel"
---

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# DROP ROUTINE — remove a routine

## Synopsis

```
DROP ROUTINE [ IF EXISTS ] name [ ( [ [ argmode ] [ argname ] argtype [, ...] ] ) ] [, ...]
    [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]
```

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## Description

`DROP ROUTINE` removes the definition of one or more existing routines. The term "routine" includes aggregate functions, normal functions, and procedures. See under [DROP AGGREGATE](sql-dropaggregate.md), [DROP FUNCTION](sql-dropfunction.md), and [DROP PROCEDURE](sql-dropprocedure.md) for the description of the parameters, more examples, and further details. 

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## Notes

The lookup rules used by `DROP ROUTINE` are fundamentally the same as for `DROP PROCEDURE`; in particular, `DROP ROUTINE` shares that command's behavior of considering an argument list that has no `argmode` markers to be possibly using the SQL standard's definition that `OUT` arguments are included in the list. (`DROP AGGREGATE` and `DROP FUNCTION` do not do that.) 

In some cases where the same name is shared by routines of different kinds, it is possible for `DROP ROUTINE` to fail with an ambiguity error when a more specific command (`DROP FUNCTION`, etc.) would work. Specifying the argument type list more carefully will also resolve such problems. 

These lookup rules are also used by other commands that act on existing routines, such as `ALTER ROUTINE` and `COMMENT ON ROUTINE`. 

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## Examples

To drop the routine `foo` for type `integer`: 
DROP ROUTINE foo(integer);
 This command will work independent of whether `foo` is an aggregate, function, or procedure. 

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## Compatibility

This command conforms to the SQL standard, with these PostgreSQL extensions: 
- The standard only allows one routine to be dropped per command.
- The `IF EXISTS` option is an extension.
- The ability to specify argument modes and names is an extension, and the lookup rules differ when modes are given.
- User-definable aggregate functions are an extension.



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## See Also

[DROP AGGREGATE](sql-dropaggregate.md), [DROP FUNCTION](sql-dropfunction.md), [DROP PROCEDURE](sql-dropprocedure.md), [ALTER ROUTINE](sql-alterroutine.md)Note that there is no `CREATE ROUTINE` command.