Javascript Break And Continue Statements Complete Guide

Last Update:2025-06-22T00:00:00 .NET School AI Teacher - SELECT ANY TEXT TO EXPLANATION. 8 mins read Difficulty-Level: beginner

Understanding the Core Concepts of JavaScript break and continue Statements

JavaScript `break` and `continue` Statements

The `break` Statement

The break statement is used to exit a loop prematurely. When encountered inside a loop, it terminates the loop immediately and continues with the next line of code after the loop block. This can be particularly useful when you've found the necessary information and want to stop unnecessary iterations.

Here's how the break statement works in different types of loops:

1. In for Loop:

// Display numbers from 1 to 5 but exit the loop when the number is 3
for (let i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i === 3) { // Condition to meet 'break'
        break;
    }
    console.log(i); // Outputs: 1, 2
}

2. In while Loop:

let counter = 1;

while (counter <= 5) {
    if (counter === 3) {
        break;
    }
    console.log(counter); // Outputs: 1, 2
    counter++;
}

3. In do...while Loop:

let count = 1;

do {
    if (count === 3) {
        break;
    }
    console.log(count); // Outputs: 1, 2
    count++;
} while (count <= 5);

Key Points:

Immediacy: The loop terminates as soon as break is executed.
Label Support: You can also use break with labeled statements to exit nested loops.
Efficiency: Use break to avoid executing redundant iterations once a certain condition is met.

Example of using labels with break:

outerLoop: // Labeling the outer loop
for (let i = 1; i < 4; i++) {
    innerLoop: // Labeling the inner loop
    for (let j = 1; j < 4; j++) {
        if (i * j > 5) {
            break outerLoop; // Breaking out of the labeled 'outerLoop'
        }
        console.log(`i=${i}, j=${j}`);
        // Outputs: i=1, j=1 | i=1, j=2 | i=1, j=3 | i=2, j=1 | i=2, j=2
    }
}

The `continue` Statement

The continue statement is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and proceed to the next one without executing the code following it within the same iteration. It’s valuable for excluding certain elements or conditions during iteration without completely terminating the loop.

Here's an example using a for loop:

1. Basic Usage in for Loop:

// Display even numbers from 1 to 5
for (let i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i % 2 !== 0) { // Skip odd numbers
        continue;
    }
    console.log(i); // Outputs: 2, 4
}

Key Points:

Iteration Skipping: Only the current iteration is skipped; the loop continues with the next iteration.
Label Support: Similar to break, continue supports labels to skip iterations in nested loops.
Optimization: Utilize continue for skipping undesirable conditions rather than embedding conditional logic outside the loop structure which could lead to nested if-else blocks.

Example of using labels with continue:

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Step-by-Step Guide: How to Implement JavaScript break and continue Statements

JavaScript `break` Statement

The break statement is used to exit a loop or a switch statement. It stops the execution of the loop and continues with the code after the loop.

Example 1: Breaking out of a `for` loop

Let's create a simple for loop that prints numbers from 1 to 5, but we will use the break statement to exit the loop when it reaches the number 3.

// Initialize the loop
for (let i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
  // Check if i is equal to 3
  if (i === 3) {
    console.log("Break at 3");
    // Exit the loop
    break;
  }
  // Print the current value of i
  console.log(i);
}

// Continue with code after the loop
console.log("Loop has ended.");

Output:

1
2
Break at 3
Loop has ended.

Explanation:

The loop starts at i = 1 and increments i by 1 in each iteration.
When i equals 3, the if condition inside the loop is true, and the break statement is executed.
This exits the loop immediately, and the remaining iterations are skipped.
The execution continues with the code after the loop, printing "Loop has ended."

JavaScript `continue` Statement

The continue statement is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and continue with the next iteration.

Example 2: Skipping even numbers in a `for` loop

Let's create a simple for loop that prints numbers from 1 to 5, but we will use the continue statement to skip even numbers.

// Initialize the loop
for (let i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
  // Check if i is even
  if (i % 2 === 0) {
    console.log(i + " is even. Skipping...");
    // Skip the current iteration and go to the next one
    continue;
  }
  // Print the current value of i
  console.log(i);
}

// Continue with code after the loop
console.log("Loop has ended.");

Output:

1
2 is even. Skipping...
3
4 is even. Skipping...
5
Loop has ended.

Explanation:

The loop starts at i = 1 and increments i by 1 in each iteration.
In each iteration, it checks if i is even using the modulus operator (%).
If i is even, it prints a message and the continue statement is executed, which skips the remaining code in the current iteration and moves to the next iteration.
If i is odd, it simply prints the value of i.
The loop continues until i is greater than 5.
The execution continues with the code after the loop, printing "Loop has ended."

Example 3: `break` and `continue` in a `while` loop

Let's see how break and continue work in a while loop. We'll create a loop that prints numbers from 1 to 10, but we skip the even numbers and break the loop when it reaches 7.

// Initialize the counter
let i = 1;

// Start the while loop
while (i <= 10) {
  // Check if i is even
  if (i % 2 === 0) {
    console.log(i + " is even. Skipping...");
    // Skip the current iteration and go to the next one
    i++;
    continue;
  }
  // Check if i is 7
  if (i === 7) {
    console.log("Break at 7");
    // Exit the loop
    break;
  }
  // Print the current value of i
  console.log(i);
  // Increment the counter
  i++;
}

// Continue with code after the loop
console.log("Loop has ended.");

Output:

1
2 is even. Skipping...
3
4 is even. Skipping...
5
6 is even. Skipping...
Break at 7
Loop has ended.

Explanation:

The loop starts with i = 1.
In each iteration, it checks if i is even using the modulus operator (%).
If i is even, it prints a message and increments i before the continue statement is executed, which skips the rest of that iteration.
If i is odd, it checks if i is 7. If so, it prints a message and the break statement is executed, which exits the loop.
If i is neither even nor 7, it simply prints the value of i and increments i.
The loop continues until the break statement is executed or i becomes greater than 10.
The execution continues with the code after the loop, printing "Loop has ended."

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Javascript Break And Continue Statements Complete Guide