C break Statement

Syntax

The break statement can be used in multiple ways as follows:

break;

Example

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
   int i;
   for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
      if (i == 5)
      break;
      printf("%d ", i);
   }
   return 0;
}

Output

0 1 2 3 4 

Explanation

The break statement in C is used to exit the current loop. When the break statement is encountered within a loop, the loop is immediately terminated and the program continues executing the next statement after the loop.

In the above example, the for loop iterates 10 times. When i becomes 5, the break statement is executed, and the loop is terminated. The program then continues executing the next statement after the loop, which is the return statement.

Use

The break statement can be used when you want to exit a loop based on a certain condition without going through all of the remaining iterations.

The break statement is often used in loop constructs such as for, while, and do-while.

Important Points

• The break statement can only be used within a loop construct.
• When the break statement is executed, the loop is immediately terminated.
• If there are multiple nested loops, the break statement will only terminate the innermost loop.
• The break statement can be used with a label to break out of multiple nested loops at once.

Summary

The break statement is a useful control statement in C used to exit a loop based on a certain condition. When the break statement is encountered within a loop, the loop is immediately terminated, and the program continues executing the next statement after the loop. The break statement can only be used within a loop construct and is often used with labeled statements to break out of multiple nested loops at once.