How To Remove A Dictionary From A List In Python

In this tutorial, we will learn how to remove a dictionary from a list in Python. This can be useful when you have a list containing dictionaries, and you want to remove a specific dictionary based on a certain condition or value.

Step 1: Create a List of Dictionaries

First, let’s create a list of dictionaries. We will create a list called my_list containing four dictionaries with keys id and name.

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my_list = [
    {'id': 1, 'name': 'Alice'},
    {'id': 2, 'name': 'Bob'},
    {'id': 3, 'name': 'Charlie'},
    {'id': 4, 'name': 'David'}
]

Step 2: Use a List Comprehension to Remove the Dictionary from the List

We will use a list comprehension to create a new list after removing a dictionary with a specific id. In this example, we will remove the dictionary with id = 3.

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my_list = [x for x in my_list if x.get('id') != 3]

Now, my_list should be:

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[
  {'id': 1, 'name': 'Alice'},
  {'id': 2, 'name': 'Bob'},
  {'id': 4, 'name': 'David'}
]

Alternative: Using a Regular for Loop

Another way to remove a dictionary from a list is to use a regular for loop with the .remove() method. We first find the dictionary we want to remove, then remove it.

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# Find the first dictionary with id = 3
found_dict = None
for x in my_list:
    if x['id'] == 3:
        found_dict = x
        break
 
# Remove the found dictionary from the list
if found_dict:
    my_list.remove(found_dict)

This will result in the same list as in the previous step, with the dictionary with id = 3 removed.

Full Code

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my_list = [
    {'id': 1, 'name': 'Alice'},
    {'id': 2, 'name': 'Bob'},
    {'id': 3, 'name': 'Charlie'},
    {'id': 4, 'name': 'David'}
]
 
my_list = [x for x in my_list if x.get('id') != 3]
 
print(my_list)

Output

[
    {'id': 1, 'name': 'Alice'},
    {'id': 2, 'name': 'Bob'},
    {'id': 4, 'name': 'David'}
]

Conclusion

We have learned how to remove a dictionary from a list in Python using list comprehension and the .remove() method with a regular for loop. You can use either of these techniques based on your preference and situation. The main idea is to find the appropriate dictionary based on a condition and remove it from the list.