How to delete an element from a dictionary in Python?

Here are more examples with different scenarios for deleting elements from a dictionary in Python:

1. del Statement

Example 1: Delete a Key with Error Handling

my_dict = {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "city": "Paris"}

try:
    del my_dict["country"]  # Key does NOT exist
except KeyError:
    print("Key not found!")  # Handle missing key

Example 2: Delete Multiple Keys (Loop)

keys_to_remove = ["age", "city"]
for key in keys_to_remove:
    if key in my_dict:
        del my_dict[key]

print(my_dict)  # Output: {'name': 'Alice'}

2. pop() Method

Example 1: Pop with Default Value

value = my_dict.pop("country", "N/A")  # Returns "N/A" if key missing
print(value)  # Output: N/A

Example 2: Pop and Use the Deleted Value

my_dict = {"x": 10, "y": 20, "z": 30}
x_val = my_dict.pop("x")
print(f"Removed value: {x_val}")  # Output: Removed value: 10
print(my_dict)  # Output: {'y': 20, 'z': 30}

3. popitem() Method

Example 1: Remove Last Inserted Item (Python 3.7+)

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
my_dict["c"] = 3  # Insert new key
deleted_item = my_dict.popitem()  # Removes ('c', 3)
print(deleted_item)  # Output: ('c', 3)

Example 2: Empty the Dictionary with popitem

while my_dict:
    key, val = my_dict.popitem()
    print(f"Removed: {key} -> {val}")
# Output:
# Removed: b -> 2
# Removed: a -> 1

4. Dictionary Comprehension

Example 1: Remove Keys with Specific Values

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2, "c": 3, "d": 2}
my_dict = {k: v for k, v in my_dict.items() if v != 2}
print(my_dict)  # Output: {'a': 1, 'c': 3}

Example 2: Remove Keys Starting with “temp_”

my_dict = {"temp_1": 10, "data": 42, "temp_2": 20}
my_dict = {k: v for k, v in my_dict.items() if not k.startswith("temp_")}
print(my_dict)  # Output: {'data': 42}

5. clear() Method

Example: Delete All Elements

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
my_dict.clear()
print(my_dict)  # Output: {}

6. Conditional Deletion (Loop)

Example: Remove Keys with Even Values

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2, "c": 3, "d": 4}
keys_to_delete = [k for k, v in my_dict.items() if v % 2 == 0]

for key in keys_to_delete:
    del my_dict[key]

print(my_dict)  # Output: {'a': 1, 'c': 3}

Key Takeaways:

• Use del for direct deletion (handle errors with try/except).
• Use pop() to safely remove and retrieve values.
• Use popitem() for ordered dictionaries (Python 3.7+).
• Use comprehensions for non-destructive filtering.
• Avoid modifying a dictionary while iterating; collect keys to delete first.

Let me know if you need further clarification!