# DROP_OPERATOR_CLASS - remove an operator class - man(7) - [phpMan]

_DROP_ _OPERATOR_ [_CLASS_(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/CLASS/7/markdown)             PostgreSQL 16.14 Documentation             _DROP_ _OPERATOR_ [_CLASS_(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/CLASS/7/markdown)

## NAME
       DROP_OPERATOR_CLASS - remove an operator class

## SYNOPSIS
       DROP OPERATOR CLASS [ IF EXISTS ] _name_ USING _index_method_ [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]

## DESCRIPTION
       **DROP OPERATOR CLASS **drops an existing operator class. To execute this command you must be the
       owner of the operator class.

       **DROP OPERATOR CLASS **does not drop any of the operators or functions referenced by the class.
       If there are any indexes depending on the operator class, you will need to specify CASCADE
       for the drop to complete.

## PARAMETERS
       IF EXISTS
           Do not throw an error if the operator class does not exist. A notice is issued in this
           case.

       _name_
           The name (optionally schema-qualified) of an existing operator class.

       _index_method_
           The name of the index access method the operator class is for.

       CASCADE
           Automatically drop objects that depend on the operator class (such as indexes), and in
           turn all objects that depend on those objects (see Section 5.14).

       RESTRICT
           Refuse to drop the operator class if any objects depend on it. This is the default.

## NOTES
       **DROP OPERATOR CLASS **will not drop the operator family containing the class, even if there is
       nothing else left in the family (in particular, in the case where the family was implicitly
       created by **CREATE OPERATOR CLASS**). An empty operator family is harmless, but for the sake of
       tidiness you might wish to remove the family with **DROP OPERATOR FAMILY**; or perhaps better,
       use **DROP OPERATOR FAMILY **in the first place.

## EXAMPLES
       Remove the B-tree operator class widget_ops:

           DROP OPERATOR CLASS widget_ops USING btree;

       This command will not succeed if there are any existing indexes that use the operator class.
       Add CASCADE to drop such indexes along with the operator class.

## COMPATIBILITY
       There is no **DROP OPERATOR CLASS **statement in the SQL standard.

## SEE ALSO
       ALTER OPERATOR CLASS ([**ALTER_OPERATOR_CLASS**(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ALTEROPERATORCLASS/7/markdown)), CREATE OPERATOR CLASS
       ([**CREATE_OPERATOR_CLASS**(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/CREATEOPERATORCLASS/7/markdown)), DROP OPERATOR FAMILY ([**DROP_OPERATOR_FAMILY**(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/DROPOPERATORFAMILY/7/markdown))

PostgreSQL 16.14                                2026                          _DROP_ _OPERATOR_ [_CLASS_(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/CLASS/7/markdown)