del — Easy Examples

Deletes a variable, list item, dictionary entry, or object attribute

EasyIntermediateAdvancedExpert

Deleting variables and items

Using del to remove names and collection elements.

python
# Delete a variable
x = 42
print(x)
del x
try:
    print(x)
except NameError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")

# Delete list items
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
del numbers[2]  # remove index 2
print(numbers)

# Delete dict keys
person = {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "temp": True}
del person["temp"]
print(person)
Expected Output
42
Error: name 'x' is not defined
[1, 2, 4, 5]
{'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30}

del removes a name binding, list element, dict key, or attribute. It does not directly free memory — that's handled by garbage collection.

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