C - Break Statement

Overview

break exits the nearest enclosing switch or loop.

Learning Objectives

• Use break to terminate loops and switch cases.

Prerequisites

• C - For Loop
• C - Switch Statement

Examples

// break in a loop
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  if (i == 3) break;
}

// break in switch
switch (op) { case '+': /*...*/ break; default: break; }

Checks for Understanding

1. What happens to the loop after break executes?

Demonstration

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void){
  for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
    if (i == 3) break;
    printf("%d ", i);
  }
  printf("\n");
}

Expected Output: 0 1 2

Common Pitfalls

• break only exits the innermost loop; outer loops keep running.
• In switch, missing break causes fallthrough (may be intended or a bug).

Exercises

1. Scan an array and break as soon as you find a target value; print its index.
2. Read integers until a negative number is entered and then stop.