diff --git a/lib/hui.ex b/lib/hui.ex
index 09dd39b..6a42727 100644
--- a/lib/hui.ex
+++ b/lib/hui.ex
@@ -438,6 +438,14 @@ defmodule Hui do
   def delete!(url, ids, commit \\ true)
   def delete!(url, ids, commit) when is_binary(ids) or is_list(ids), do: Request.update(url, true, %Hui.U{delete_id: ids, commit: commit})
 
+  @spec delete_by_query(binary | Hui.URL.t, binary | list(binary), boolean) :: {:ok, HTTPoison.Response.t} | {:error, Hui.Error.t}
+  def delete_by_query(url, queries, commit \\ true)
+  def delete_by_query(url, queries, commit) when is_binary(queries) or is_list(queries), do: Request.update(url, %Hui.U{delete_query: queries, commit: commit})
+
+  @spec delete_by_query!(binary | Hui.URL.t, binary | list(binary), boolean) :: HTTPoison.Response.t
+  def delete_by_query!(url, queries, commit \\ true)
+  def delete_by_query!(url, queries, commit) when is_binary(queries) or is_list(queries), do: Request.update(url, %Hui.U{delete_query: queries, commit: commit})
+
   @doc """
   Commit any added or deleted Solr documents to the index.
 
@@ -460,7 +468,7 @@ defmodule Hui do
     Hui.commit(url, false) # commits op only, new docs to be made available later
   ```
 
-  Use `Hui.Request.update/3` for other types of commit, e.g. expunge deleted docs to
+  Use `Hui.Request.update/3` for other types of commit and index optimisation, e.g. expunge deleted docs to
   physically remove docs from the index, which could be a system-intensive operation.
   """
   @spec commit(binary | Hui.URL.t, boolean) :: {:ok, HTTPoison.Response.t} | {:error, Hui.Error.t}
diff --git a/test/update_live_test.exs b/test/update_live_test.exs
index 7c656ef..1bc87aa 100644
--- a/test/update_live_test.exs
+++ b/test/update_live_test.exs
@@ -98,6 +98,24 @@ defmodule HuiUpdateLiveTest do
       verify_docs_missing(:default, ["tt2358891", "tt1602620"])
     end
 
+    test "shoud delete documents by query" do
+      url = %Hui.URL{url: "http://localhost:8983/solr/gettingstarted", handler: "update", headers: [{"Content-type", "application/json"}]}
+      doc_map1 = %{
+        "actor_ss" => ["Guy Pearce", "Carrie-Anne Moss"],
+        "desc" => "A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.",
+        "directed_by" => ["Christopher Nolan"],
+        "genre" => ["Mystery", "Thriller"],
+        "id" => "tt0209144",
+        "initial_release_date" => "2000-10-20",
+        "name" => "Memento"
+      }
+      Hui.update(url, doc_map1)
+      verify_docs_exist(:default, ["tt0209144"])
+
+      Hui.delete_by_query(url, "name:Memento")
+      verify_docs_missing(:default, ["tt0209144"])
+    end
+
   end
 
   describe "update (live / bang)" do
@@ -179,6 +197,23 @@ defmodule HuiUpdateLiveTest do
       verify_docs_missing(:default, ["tt0324133"])
     end
 
+    test "shoud delete documents by query" do
+      url = %Hui.URL{url: "http://localhost:8983/solr/gettingstarted", handler: "update", headers: [{"Content-type", "application/json"}]}
+      doc_map1 = %{
+        "actor_ss" => ["Leonardo DiCaprio", "Joseph Gordon-Levitt", "Ellen Page"],
+        "desc" => "A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO.",
+        "directed_by" => ["Christopher Nolan"],
+        "genre" => ["Action", "Adventure", "Sci-Fi"],
+        "id" => "tt1375666",
+        "initial_release_date" => "2010-07-16",
+        "name" => "Inception"
+      }
+      Hui.update(url, doc_map1)
+      verify_docs_exist(:default, ["tt1375666"])
+
+      Hui.delete_by_query!(url, "name:Inception")
+      verify_docs_missing(:default, ["tt1375666"])
+    end
   end
 
 end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/update_test.exs b/test/update_test.exs
index 989839f..3f06051 100644
--- a/test/update_test.exs
+++ b/test/update_test.exs
@@ -116,6 +116,13 @@ defmodule HuiUpdateTest do
       Hui.delete(url, ["tt1650453", "tt1650453"])
     end
 
+    test "should delete docs by query", context do
+      url = %Hui.URL{url: "http://localhost:#{context.bypass.port}", handler: "update", headers: [{"Content-type", "application/json"}]}
+      expected_data = %Hui.U{delete_query: ["name:Persona", "genre:Drama"], commit: true} |> Hui.U.encode
+      check_post_data_bypass_setup(context.bypass, expected_data)
+      Hui.delete_by_query(url, ["name:Persona", "genre:Drama"])
+    end
+
     test "should commit docs", context do
       url = %Hui.URL{url: "http://localhost:#{context.bypass.port}", handler: "update", headers: [{"Content-type", "application/json"}]}
       expected_data = %Hui.U{commit: true, waitSearcher: true} |> Hui.U.encode
@@ -197,6 +204,13 @@ defmodule HuiUpdateTest do
       Hui.delete!(url, ["tt1650453", "tt1650453"])
     end
 
+    test "should delete docs by query", context do
+      url = %Hui.URL{url: "http://localhost:#{context.bypass.port}", handler: "update", headers: [{"Content-type", "application/json"}]}
+      expected_data = %Hui.U{delete_query: ["name:Persona"], commit: true} |> Hui.U.encode
+      check_post_data_bypass_setup(context.bypass, expected_data)
+      Hui.delete_by_query!(url, "name:Persona")
+    end
+
     test "should commit docs", context do
       url = %Hui.URL{url: "http://localhost:#{context.bypass.port}", handler: "update", headers: [{"Content-type", "application/json"}]}
       expected_data = %Hui.U{commit: true, waitSearcher: true} |> Hui.U.encode