list push_front() function in C++ STL (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 21 Feb, 2026

The **list::push_front() is a built-in function in C++ STL which is used to insert an element at the front of a list container just before the current top element. This function also increases the size of the container by 1.

Syntax

list_name.**push_front(dataType _value)

• **Parameters: value- The element to be inserted at the front of the list.
• **Return Value: This function does not return any value.

**Example: The following program demonstrates the use of list::push_front():

C++ `

#include #include using namespace std;

int main() { // Creating a list list demoList;

// Adding elements using push_back()
demoList.push_back(10);
demoList.push_back(20);
demoList.push_back(30);
demoList.push_back(40);

// Printing initial list
cout << "Initial List: ";
for (int val : demoList)
    cout << val << " ";

// Inserting element at the front
demoList.push_front(5);

// Printing updated list
cout << "\n\nList after push_front(): ";
for (int val : demoList)
    cout << val << " ";

return 0;

}

`

Output

Initial List: 10 20 30 40

List after push_front(): 5 10 20 30 40

**Explanation:

• initially, elements 10, 20, 30, 40 are inserted at the end using push_back().
• push_front(5) call inserts 5 at the beginning.
• std::list is a doubly linked list, no shifting of elements occurs.
• new element becomes the first node of the list.