C++ break and continue Statements: Control Flow in Loops

Learn how to use C++ break and continue statements to exit loops early, skip iterations, and control loop flow with clear beginner-friendly examples.

1. Introduction

In C++, break and continue are control statements used inside loops to change the normal execution of a loop.

Normally, a loop executes all its statements repeatedly until its condition becomes false. However, sometimes we need to:

• Stop a loop immediately, even if its condition is still true.
• Skip the remaining statements of the current iteration and move to the next iteration.

C++ provides two statements for these purposes:

1. break – Terminates the loop immediately.
2. continue – Skips the remaining statements of the current iteration.

2. The break Statement

The break statement is used to terminate a loop immediately.

When the break statement executes:

• The loop stops immediately.
• The remaining iterations are not executed.
• Program execution continues with the first statement after the loop.

Syntax

break;

Example 1: Using break in a for loop

Task: Write a C++ program to print numbers from 1 to 10. Stop the loop when the number becomes 5.

Program

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++)
    {
        if (i == 5)
        {
            break;
        }

        cout << i << endl;
    }

    return 0;
}

Output

1
2
3
4

Explanation

1. The loop starts with i = 1.
2. The if statement checks whether i is equal to 5.
3. When i becomes 5, the break statement executes.
4. The loop terminates immediately.
5. Numbers 5 to 10 are not printed.

Dry Run

Example 2: Using break in a while loop

Task: Write a program to print numbers from 1 to 10 using a while loop. Stop when the number becomes 6.

Program

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    int i = 1;

    while (i <= 10)
    {
        if (i == 6)
        {
            break;
        }

        cout << i << endl;
        i++;
    }

    return 0;
}

Output

1
2
3
4
5

Explanation

The loop continues while i is less than or equal to 10. When i becomes 6, the break statement terminates the loop.

3. The continue Statement

The continue statement is used to skip the remaining statements of the current iteration and move to the next iteration.

When the continue statement executes:

• The remaining statements in the current iteration are skipped.
• The loop moves to its next iteration.
• The loop does not terminate.

Syntax

continue;

Example 1: Using continue in a for loop

Task: Write a C++ program to print numbers from 1 to 10, but skip number 5.

Program

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++)
    {
        if (i == 5)
        {
            continue;
        }

        cout << i << endl;
    }

    return 0;
}

Output

1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
10

Explanation

1. The loop starts with i = 1.
2. The if statement checks whether i is equal to 5.
3. When i becomes 5, the continue statement executes.
4. The cout statement is skipped for that iteration.
5. The loop continues with the next value, which is 6.

Dry Run

Example 2: Using continue in a while loop

Task: Write a program to print odd numbers from 1 to 10 using a while loop.

Program

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    int i = 0;

    while (i < 10)
    {
        i++;

        if (i % 2 == 0)
        {
            continue;
        }

        cout << i << endl;
    }

    return 0;
}

Output

1
3
5
7
9

Explanation

1. The variable i starts from 0.
2. The value of i is increased by 1.
3. The condition i % 2 == 0 checks whether the number is even.
4. If the number is even, continue skips the printing statement.
5. If the number is odd, it is printed.
6. The loop continues until i becomes 10.

Important: In a while loop, make sure the loop-control variable is updated before executing continue when necessary. Otherwise, the loop may become an infinite loop.

4. Important Concept: break in Nested Loops

A break inside an inner loop terminates only the inner loop. The outer loop continues normally.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++)
    {
        for (int j = 1; j <= 4; j++)
        {
            if (j == 3)
            {
                break;
            }

            cout << j << " ";
        }

        cout << endl;
    }

    return 0;
}

Output:

1 2
1 2
1 2

The inner loop stops whenever j reaches 3. The outer loop still creates all three rows.

5. Difference Between break and continue

5. Important Points to Remember

1. Both break and continue are used inside loops.
2. break terminates the nearest enclosing loop.
3. continue skips the remaining statements of the current iteration.
4. Both statements can be used with for, while, and do-while loops.
5. In nested loops, break and continue affect only the innermost loop in which they are used.

6. Practice Tasks

Tasks 1: Understand the Code

Predict the output of the following program.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    for (int i = 1; i <= 7; i++)
    {
        if (i == 4)
        {
            break;
        }

        cout << i << " ";
    }

    return 0;

Task 2: Modify the Code

Modify the following program to skip all even numbers.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++)
    {
        cout << i << " ";
    }

    return 0;
}

Task 3: Write a Program

Write a C++ program that:

1. Prints numbers from 1 to 20.
2. Skips multiples of 3 using continue.
3. Stops the loop when the number becomes 15 using break.

Task 4: Find and Fix the Error

Identify and correct the logical error in the following program.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    int i = 1;

    while (i <= 10)
    {
        if (i == 5)
        {
            continue;
        }

        cout << i << " ";
        i++;
    }

    return 0;
}

5. Practice Coding Exercises

Solve Coding Exercises 32–33 in the Break and Continue section. Write, run, and test each C++ program to verify the output.