all Python 3Lists (list)function

list.pop

removal

Remove and return the item at the index (last by default); raises IndexError if empty or out of range.

Syntax

lst.pop(index=-1)

Popping from the end is O(1), but pop(0) — or any early index — is O(n) because every later element shifts left. For a FIFO queue use collections.deque with popleft() instead of a list, otherwise large inputs turn quadratic. Unlike del and remove, pop hands the removed value back, which is what makes the take-and-process pattern convenient.

Examples

lst = [1, 2, 3]
print(lst.pop())    # → 3
print(lst.pop(0))   # → 1
print(lst)          # → [2]

See also

Common errors

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