ArrayList clear() Method in Java with Examples

Last Updated : 11 Jul, 2025

The clear() method in the ArrayList class in Java is used to remove all elements from an ArrayList. After calling this method, the list becomes empty.

Example 1: Here, we will use the clear() method to clear elements from an ArrayList of Integers.

Java

// Java program to demonstrate clear() method // in Integer ArrayList import java.util.ArrayList; public class GFG {  public static void main(String[] args) {  // Creating an ArrayList of integers  ArrayList<Integer> n = new ArrayList<>();  // Adding elements to the ArrayList  n.add(10);  n.add(20);  n.add(30);  // Printing the original ArrayList  System.out.println("" + n);  // Clearing all elements from the ArrayList  n.clear();  System.out.println("" + n);  } }

Output

[10, 20, 30] []

Syntax of clear() Method

public void clear()

Parameter: The clear() method does not need any parameters.
Return Type: It does not return any value as it removes all the elements in the list and makes it empty.

Important Point: It does implement interfaces like Serializable, Cloneable, Iterable, Collection, List, RandomAccess.

Example 2: Here, we will use the clear() method to clear elements from an ArrayList of Strings.

Java

// Java program to demonstrate clear() method // in ArrayList of Strings import java.util.ArrayList; public class GFG {  public static void main(String[] args) {  // Creating an ArrayList of strings  ArrayList<String> a = new ArrayList<>();  // Adding elements to the ArrayList  a.add("Dog");  a.add("Cat");  a.add("Rabbit");  // Printing the original ArrayList  System.out.println("" + a);  // Clearing all elements   // from the ArrayList  a.clear();  // Printing the ArrayList after clearing  System.out.println("" + a);  } }

Output

[Dog, Cat, Rabbit] []

Example 3: Here, we will use the clear() method to clear elements from an ArrayList of Objects.

Java

// Java program to demonstrate clear() method // in ArrayList of Objects import java.util.ArrayList; public class GFG {    static class Person {  String n;    Person(String n) {  this.n = n;  }    public String toString() {  return n;  }  }  public static void main(String[] args) {    // Create ArrayList of Person objects  ArrayList<Person> p = new ArrayList<>();    // Add objects  p.add(new Person("Ram"));  p.add(new Person("Shyam"));    // Print before clearing  System.out.println("" + p);    // Clear the ArrayList  p.clear();    // Print after clearing  System.out.println("" + p);  } }