How about the simple:

for e in ['cc', 'dd',...]: 
  a.pop(e)
Answer from Himadri Choudhury on Stack Overflow
🌐
Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 5333898 › best-way-to-pop-many-elements-from-a-python-dict
dictionary - Best way to pop many elements from a Python dict - Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 8
70

How about the simple:

for e in ['cc', 'dd',...]: 
  a.pop(e)
2 of 8
38

Using list comprehension:

a = {'key1':'value1','key2':'value2','key3':'value3'}
print [a.pop(key) for key in ['key1', 'key3']]
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DigitalOcean
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July 24, 2025 - Python’s .pop() method is a powerful and flexible built-in function that allows you to remove and return elements from both lists and dictionaries. This method is especially useful in scenarios where you need to both extract and delete items in a single, efficient operation.
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w3schools.com › python › ref_dictionary_pop.asp
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Python Examples Python Compiler ... 1964 } car.pop("model") print(car) Try it Yourself » · The pop() method removes the specified item from the dictionary....
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › python-remove-multiple-keys-from-dictionary
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July 12, 2025 - This method is efficient as it ... we can remove multiple keys from dictionary. ... We can use the pop() method to remove keys from the dictionary one by one in a loop....
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python-dictionary-pop-method
Python Dictionary pop() Method - GeeksforGeeks
May 9, 2025 - Explanation: while loop repeatedly ... pair from the dictionary using pop() until the dictionary is empty. ... Python dictionary methods is collection of Python functions that operates on Dictionary.Python Dictionary is like a map that is used ...
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The pop() method in Python dictionaries allows you to remove a key-value pair based on its key and returns the corresponding value. This method is particularly useful when you need to extract and process a value while simultaneously removing ...
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note.nkmk.me › home › python
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Python Dictionary fromkeys() Python ... Dictionary update() Python Dictionary clear() Python Dictionary get() The pop() method removes and returns an element from a dictionary having the given key....
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November 7, 2024 - The pop() method in Python dictionaries is an essential tool for managing key-value pairs. It allows for the removal of a specified key from a dictionary and returns the value associated with that key.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 55199303 › fastest-way-to-pop-n-items-from-a-large-dict
python - Fastest way to pop N items from a large dict - Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 3
19

A simple comprehension inside dict will do:

dict(src.popitem() for _ in range(20000))

Here you have the timing tests

setup = """
src = {i: i ** 3 for i in range(1000000)}

def method_1(d):
  dst = {}
  while len(dst) < 20000:
      item = d.popitem()
      dst[item[0]] = item[1]
  return dst

def method_2(d):
  return dict(d.popitem() for _ in range(20000))
"""
import timeit
print("Method 1: ", timeit.timeit('method_1(src)', setup=setup, number=1))

print("Method 2: ", timeit.timeit('method_2(src)', setup=setup, number=1))

Results:

Method 1:  0.007701821999944514
Method 2:  0.004668198998842854
2 of 3
12

This is a bit faster still:

from itertools import islice
def method_4(d):
    result = dict(islice(d.items(), 20000))
    for k in result: del d[k]
    return result

Compared to other versions, using Netwave's testcase:

Method 1:  0.004459443036466837  # original
Method 2:  0.0034434819826856256 # Netwave
Method 3:  0.002602717955596745  # chepner
Method 4:  0.001974945073015988  # this answer

The extra speedup seems to come from avoiding transitions between C and Python functions. From disassembly we can note that the dict instantiation happens on C side, with only 3 function calls from Python. The loop uses DELETE_SUBSCR opcode instead of needing a function call:

>>> dis.dis(method_4)
  2           0 LOAD_GLOBAL              0 (dict)
              2 LOAD_GLOBAL              1 (islice)
              4 LOAD_FAST                0 (d)
              6 LOAD_ATTR                2 (items)
              8 CALL_FUNCTION            0
             10 LOAD_CONST               1 (20000)
             12 CALL_FUNCTION            2
             14 CALL_FUNCTION            1
             16 STORE_FAST               1 (result)

  3          18 SETUP_LOOP              18 (to 38)
             20 LOAD_FAST                1 (result)
             22 GET_ITER
        >>   24 FOR_ITER                10 (to 36)
             26 STORE_FAST               2 (k)
             28 LOAD_FAST                0 (d)
             30 LOAD_FAST                2 (k)
             32 DELETE_SUBSCR
             34 JUMP_ABSOLUTE           24
        >>   36 POP_BLOCK

  4     >>   38 LOAD_FAST                1 (result)
             40 RETURN_VALUE

Compared with the iterator in method_2:

>>> dis.dis(d.popitem() for _ in range(20000))
  1           0 LOAD_FAST                0 (.0)
        >>    2 FOR_ITER                14 (to 18)
              4 STORE_FAST               1 (_)
              6 LOAD_GLOBAL              0 (d)
              8 LOAD_ATTR                1 (popitem)
             10 CALL_FUNCTION            0
             12 YIELD_VALUE
             14 POP_TOP
             16 JUMP_ABSOLUTE            2
        >>   18 LOAD_CONST               0 (None)
             20 RETURN_VALUE

which needs a Python to C function call for each item.

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Centron
centron.de › startseite › python .pop(): remove and return items from lists and dicts
Python .pop(): Remove and Return Items from Lists and Dicts
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DataCamp
datacamp.com › tutorial › python-pop
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July 31, 2024 - The Python Cheat Sheet for Beginners ... Python's syntax and different functions. The pop() method is used in lists and dictionaries to remove specific items and return the value. I will show a quick example for both. The first example shows how to remove an item from a list using ...
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Inspired Python
inspiredpython.com › tip › python-dictionary-tricks-popping-items
Python Dictionary Tricks: Popping items • Inspired Python
>>> d.pop("favorite_language", "Python") 'Python' >>> d['favorite_city'] = "London" >>> d.popitem() ('favorite_city', 'London') “ · You can use the pop(key) method to remove (and return) the value of an item in a dictionary.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 71333270 › how-to-pop-from-a-dict-while-looping
python - How to pop from a dict while looping? - Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 2
4

You could make a list from dict_a keys beforehand:

for key in list(dict_a):
     if # some condition:
         dict_a.pop(key)
2 of 2
1

Try this instead. You can define your own logic using a regular function or a lambda function, if you wish.

def custom_filter_logic(item):
    # if some_condition, return False
    # define your logic below
    k, v = item[0], item[1]
    return v < 3

new_dict = {k: v for k, v in filter(custom_filter_logic, dict_a.items())}
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Spark By {Examples}
sparkbyexamples.com › home › python › python dictionary pop() method
Python Dictionary pop() Method - Spark By {Examples}
May 31, 2024 - The pop() method of Python dictionary (dict) is used to remove the element from the dictionary by dict key and return the value related to the removed
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Spark By {Examples}
sparkbyexamples.com › home › python › remove multiple keys from python dictionary
Remove Multiple keys from Python Dictionary - Spark By {Examples}
May 31, 2024 - How to remove multiple keys from Python Dictionary? To remove multiple keys you have to create a list or set with the keys you want to delete from a
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Codecademy
codecademy.com › docs › python › dictionaries › .pop()
Python | Dictionaries | .pop() | Codecademy
May 23, 2022 - The .pop() method of a Python dictionary returns the value of a specified key, then removes the key-value pair from the dictionary.
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freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › python-remove-key-from-dictionary
Python Remove Key from Dictionary – How to Delete Keys from a Dict
February 22, 2023 - # initialize a dictionary My_dict = {1: "Red", 2: "Blue", 3: "Green", 4: "Yello", 5: "Black"} # using popitem() Deleted_key = My_dict.popitem() print(Deleted_key) ... As you can see, the function removed the last key:value pair – 5: "Black" – from the dictionary. You can easily delete multiple keys from a dictionary using Python.
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datagy
datagy.io › home › python posts › python: remove key from dictionary (4 different ways)
Python: Remove Key from Dictionary (4 Different Ways) • datagy
December 20, 2022 - Python makes it easy to remove multiple keys from a dictionary. The safest way of doing this is to loop over a list of keys and use the .pop() method.
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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › remove key from dictionary python
remove key from dictionary python | Scaler Topics
May 4, 2023 - Multiple keys can be removed from a Python dictionary using either the popitem() method or the pop() method in a loop.
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