An assignment statement creates or locates a variable and then assigns a new object to the variable. This change in state is how our program advances from beginning to termination. Python also provides a mechanism for removing variables, the del statement.

The del statement looks like this:

Each object is any kind of Python object. Usually these are variables, but they can be functions, modules, classes.

The del statement works by unbinding the name, removing it from the set of names known to the Python interpreter. If this variable was the last remaining reference to an object, the object will be removed from memory. If, on the other hand, other variables still refer to this object, the object won't be deleted.

The del statement is typically used only in rare, specialized cases. Ordinary namespace management and garbage collection are generally sufficient for most purposes.