The easiest way is to invert the value of the keys and use heapq. For example, turn 1000.0 into -1000.0 and 5.0 into -5.0.
Answer from Daniel Stutzbach on Stack OverflowPython
docs.python.org › 3 › library › heapq.html
heapq — Heap queue algorithm
The value returned may be larger than the item added. If that isn’t desired, consider using heappushpop() instead. Its push/pop combination returns the smaller of the two values, leaving the larger value on the heap. For max-heaps, the following functions are provided:
Top answer 1 of 16
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The easiest way is to invert the value of the keys and use heapq. For example, turn 1000.0 into -1000.0 and 5.0 into -5.0.
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You can use
import heapq
listForTree = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
heapq.heapify(listForTree) # for a min heap
heapq._heapify_max(listForTree) # for a maxheap!!
If you then want to pop elements, use:
heapq.heappop(minheap) # pop from minheap
heapq._heappop_max(maxheap) # pop from maxheap
How to use Python's heapq as min-heap AND max-heap?
Just add negative values. And file fetching add - to it. More on reddit.com
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April 8, 2024Make max heap functions public in heapq - Ideas - Discussions on Python.org
The heapq module contains some private max-heap variants of its heap functions: _heapify_max, _heappop_max, _heapreplace_max. This exist to support the higher-level functions like merge(). I’d like the _max variants to be made public (remove the underscore prefix), and documented. More on discuss.python.org
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June 30, 2022Create new package similar to `heapq` but be able to pass custom comparator through a constructor - Ideas - Discussions on Python.org
The current heap container is okay in Python. It works as intended but you cannot pass a custom comparator and working with it feels “C like”, since you need to pass your list object each time. I’d be willing to make a new package so that we can have a similar heap/priority queue to java ... More on discuss.python.org
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November 23, 2024What do I use for a max-heap implementation in Python?
In Python, you can use the heapq module from the standard library to work with heaps. However, the heapq module provides a min-heap implementation by default. To implement a max-heap, you can adapt the heapq module to invert the values for comparison. More on designgurus.io
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August 1, 2024Videos
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Mastering Python heapq Module | Priority Queues, Heaps & Min-Heap ...
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Max-Heap Implementation in Python - YouTube
max heap in python using heapq
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Min Heaps and Max Heaps and Heapify - YouTube
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Heaps & Priority Queues in Python - YouTube
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › max-heap-in-python
Max Heap in Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 12, 2025 - """ Python3 program to implement MaxHeap using heapq for Strings, Numbers, and Objects """ from functools import total_ordering import heapq @total_ordering class Wrap: def __init__(self, v): self.v = v def __lt__(self, o): return self.v > o.v # Reverse for Max Heap def __eq__(self, o): return self.v == o.v # Max Heap for numbers h = [10, 20, 400, 30] wh = list(map(Wrap, h)) heapq.heapify(wh) print("Max:", heapq.heappop(wh).v) # Max Heap for strings h = ["this", "code", "is", "wonderful"] wh = list(map(Wrap, h)) heapq.heapify(wh) print("Heap:", end=" ") while wh: print(heapq.heappop(wh).v, end=" ")
LinkedIn
linkedin.com › posts › navdeep-singh-3aaa14161_python-finally-supports-native-max-heap-operations-activity-7393793665313226752-tFr2
Python 3.14 adds native max heap operations to heapq ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/leetcode › how to use python's heapq as min-heap and max-heap?
r/leetcode on Reddit: How to use Python's heapq as min-heap AND max-heap?
April 8, 2024 -
I know that heapq in python is min-heap (first element is the smallest).
How do I initialize a max-heap, where the root is the largest?
Python.org
discuss.python.org › ideas
Make max heap functions public in heapq - Ideas - Discussions on Python.org
June 30, 2022 - The heapq module contains some private max-heap variants of its heap functions: _heapify_max, _heappop_max, _heapreplace_max. This exist to support the higher-level functions like merge(). I’d like the _max variants to b…
CodeSignal
codesignal.com › learn › courses › understanding-and-using-trees-in-python › lessons › unraveling-heaps-theory-operations-and-implementations-in-python
Theory, Operations, and Implementations in Python
3. Extract: Extracting the maximum (for Max Heap) or minimum (for Min Heap) is a constant-time operation, as the maximum or the minimum element is always at the root of the heap. ... The "Heapify" method is an intriguing function used to rearrange elements in heap data structures. It assists in preserving the heap property within the heap. In Python, this operation can be executed using the heapify() function.
Medium
medium.com › @mshoibkhan › heap-data-structure-in-python-min-head-and-max-heap-bd46218fcf8f
Heap Data Structure in Python | Min Head and Max Heap | by Shoib Khan | Medium
November 1, 2023 - The bigger value with negative values will become the smallest value that you can pop as absolute and your max heap is ready. ... from heapq import heappop, heappush def max_heap(li): h = [] # An empty list for heap insert for i in li: # Insert the value as negative heappush(h, -i) #pop the values as absolute and return return [abs( heappop(h) ) for _ in range(len(h))] #Call the function if __name__ == "__main__": hq = [5,7, 9, 8, 3, 2] data = max_heap(hq) print(data) #Output [9, 8, 7, 5, 3, 2]
Python.org
discuss.python.org › ideas
Make max heap functions public in heapq - #12 by EklipZgit - Ideas - Discussions on Python.org
March 28, 2024 - The heapq module contains some private max-heap variants of its heap functions: _heapify_max, _heappop_max, _heapreplace_max. This exist to support the higher-level functions like merge(). I’d like the _max variants to b…
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › heap-queue-or-heapq-in-python
Heap queue or heapq in Python - GeeksforGeeks
By default, Python's heapq implements a min-heap. To create a max-heap simply invert the values (store negative numbers).
Published 2 weeks ago
Naukri
naukri.com › code360 › library › max-heap-in-python
Max Heap in Python - Naukri Code 360
August 21, 2025 - Almost there... just a few more seconds
Python Cheat Sheet
pythonsheets.com › notes › basic › python-heap.html
Heap — Python Cheat Sheet
Python’s heapq only provides a min-heap. To implement a max-heap, negate the values when pushing and negate again when popping.
Python.org
discuss.python.org › ideas
Create new package similar to `heapq` but be able to pass custom comparator through a constructor - Ideas - Discussions on Python.org
November 23, 2024 - The current heap container is okay in Python. It works as intended but you cannot pass a custom comparator and working with it feels “C like”, since you need to pass your list object each time. I’d be willing to make a new package so that we can have a similar heap/priority queue to java ...
Verve AI
vervecopilot.com › interview-questions › what-no-one-tells-you-about-max-heap-python-and-interview-performance
What No One Tells You About Max Heap Python And Interview Performance
Implementing a max heap python ... To simulate a max heap using heapq, you must negate the values before pushing them onto the heap and then negate them back when popping [^3]. For example, to add 5 to a max heap, you'd push ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/python › question on heapq design - why no maxheap implementation?
r/Python on Reddit: Question on heapq design - why no maxheap implementation?
April 11, 2022 -
I am working through grokking the coding interview and decided to use python due to it's readability and overall simplicity in its syntax.
This morning I started working on the 'two heaps' algorithms. It struck me as a bit odd that python or the writers of the heapq library decided to make all implementations of heap minheaps rather than adding some additional APIs for maxheaps.
Maybe it's just me, but I find it a bit hard to reason through programs that make use of maxheaps. Having to remember to push a value multiplied by -1 and then do the same for retrieval feels a bit un-intuitive, but maybe it's just me.
Does anyone know of the reasoning behind not implementing them separately and adding a thin layer to the maxheaps to avoid having to do this? I'm mostly just curious if there was any discussion around it when heapq was created but haven't been able to find anything yet.
Top answer 1 of 4
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I wondered about that as well. Now I'm just used to doing negative multiplication for max heap.
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Honestly, I find heapq's interface a bit disappointing There are module level functions operating on lists instead of a class neatly encapsulating the operations as methods. So I, as the user, need to manually ensure I don't accidentally do anything on my list that breaks the heap invariant. No max-heap, like OP notes. No operation for updating the key/priority of an element, even though that's not too hard to implement with the sift up/sift down (which are already present in the source). Updating the priority of a task is hardly an uncommon situation. The documentation mentions some of these "challenges" and suggests workarounds, but I personally find some of them pretty inelegant.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Heaps & Priority Queues - Heapify, Heap Sort, Heapq Library - DSA Course in Python Lecture 9 - YouTube
Code solutions in Python, Java, C++ and JS can be found at my GitHub repository here: https://github.com/gahogg/Data-Structures-and-Algorithms-Theory-Course-...
Published July 16, 2024
DEV Community
dev.to › devasservice › understanding-pythons-heapq-module-1n37
Understanding Python's heapq Module - DEV Community
September 19, 2024 - In a max-heap, the value of I is greater than or equal to the values of its children, making the largest element the root. In Python, heapq implements a min-heap, meaning the smallest element is always at the root of the heap.
Medium
medium.com › @kevinchwong › python-code-gems-make-you-look-smarter-7-using-heaps-to-find-k-largest-smallest-items-5b1393ae0e97
Python code gems make you look smarter (7) — Using Heaps to Find K Largest/Smallest Items | by Kevin Wong | Medium
September 1, 2024 - In a max-heap, each node is larger than its children, and the root (11) is the largest element. Python’s heapq module provides an implementation of a min-heap ONLY.
Finxter
blog.finxter.com › home › learn python blog › 5 best ways to implement a max heap in python
5 Best Ways to Implement a Max Heap in Python - Be on the Right Side of Change
March 10, 2024 - In this example, we define a function create_max_heap() that takes a list of elements as input. The elements are negated and then transformed into a heap in-place using heapq.heapify().