break Statement (C)
The latest version of this topic can be found at break Statement (C).
The break
statement terminates the execution of the nearest enclosing do
, for
, switch
, or while
statement in which it appears. Control passes to the statement that follows the terminated statement.
Syntax
jump-statement:
break;
The break
statement is frequently used to terminate the processing of a particular case within a switch
statement. Lack of an enclosing iterative or switch
statement generates an error.
Within nested statements, the break
statement terminates only the do
, for
, switch
, or while
statement that immediately encloses it. You can use a return
or goto
statement to transfer control elsewhere out of the nested structure.
This example illustrates the break
statement:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char c;
for(;;) {
printf_s( "\nPress any key, Q to quit: " );
// Convert to character value
scanf_s("%c", &c);
if (c == 'Q')
break;
}
} // Loop exits only when 'Q' is pressed