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List Methods

pop()

Remove and return the item at the specified index.

list.pop(index=-1)

list.pop() removes the item at index and returns it.

If no index is specified, it removes and returns the last item in the list (index=-1), making it ideal for stack (LIFO) operations.

Parameters

NameDescription
indexOptional index of the item to remove. Defaults to -1 (the last item).

Returns

The removed element.

Try it

Run it and change it
queue = ["task1", "task2", "task3"]
last_task = queue.pop()
first_task = queue.pop(0)
print("Popped last:", last_task)
print("Popped first:", first_task)
print("Remaining:", queue)

Worth knowing

  • IndexError: Raises IndexError if the list is empty or the index is out of range.
  • Fastest removal: Popping from the end (pop()) is O(1) constant time.

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