diff --git a/django/contrib/sessions/backends/base.py b/django/contrib/sessions/backends/base.py
index ed1311764c..a267eb1875 100644
--- a/django/contrib/sessions/backends/base.py
+++ b/django/contrib/sessions/backends/base.py
@@ -120,6 +120,10 @@ class SessionBase(object):
     def iteritems(self):
         return self._session.iteritems()
 
+    def clear(self):
+        self._session.clear()
+        self.modified = True
+
     def _get_new_session_key(self):
         "Returns session key that isn't being used."
         # The random module is seeded when this Apache child is created.
diff --git a/django/contrib/sessions/tests.py b/django/contrib/sessions/tests.py
index a1bc6799fa..afb9b3dfd3 100644
--- a/django/contrib/sessions/tests.py
+++ b/django/contrib/sessions/tests.py
@@ -147,7 +147,15 @@ True
 >>> list(i)
 [('x', 1)]
 
- 
+# test .clear()
+>>> s.modified = s.accessed = False
+>>> s.items()
+[('x', 1)]
+>>> s.clear()
+>>> s.items()
+[]
+>>> s.accessed, s.modified
+(True, True)
 
 #########################
 # Custom session expiry #
diff --git a/docs/sessions.txt b/docs/sessions.txt
index b5c9ba8394..39df04ad71 100644
--- a/docs/sessions.txt
+++ b/docs/sessions.txt
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ When ``SessionMiddleware`` is activated, each ``HttpRequest`` object -- the
 first argument to any Django view function -- will have a ``session``
 attribute, which is a dictionary-like object. You can read it and write to it.
 
-It implements the following standard dictionary methods:
+A session object has the following standard dictionary methods:
 
     * ``__getitem__(key)``
 
@@ -106,6 +106,8 @@ It implements the following standard dictionary methods:
 
     * ``setdefault()`` (**New in Django development version**)
 
+    * ``clear()`` (**New in Django development version**)
+
 It also has these methods:
 
     * ``set_test_cookie()``