---
title: "first(where:)"
framework: swift
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "swift/iteratorsequence/first(where:)"
---

# first(where:)

Returns the first element of the sequence that satisfies the given predicate.

## Declaration

```swift
func first(where predicate: (Self.Element) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> Self.Element?
```

## Parameters

- `predicate`: A closure that takes an element of the sequence as its argument and returns a Boolean value indicating whether the element is a match.

## Return Value

Return Value The first element of the sequence that satisfies predicate, or nil if there is no element that satisfies predicate.

## Discussion

Discussion The following example uses the first(where:) method to find the first negative number in an array of integers: let numbers = [3, 7, 4, -2, 9, -6, 10, 1] if let firstNegative = numbers.first(where: { $0 < 0 }) {     print("The first negative number is \(firstNegative).") } // Prints "The first negative number is -2." note: O(n), where n is the length of the sequence.