break and continue

Syntax

break;\ncontinue;

Examples

int[] numbers = {1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12};

for (int num : numbers) {
    if (num % 2 == 0) {
        System.out.println("Found first even number: " + num);
        break;
    }
    System.out.println(num + " is odd");
}

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
    if (i % 2 != 0) {
        continue;  // skip odd numbers
    }
    System.out.println(i);  // prints only even numbers
}

outerLoop:
for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
    for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
        if (i == 2 && j == 2) {
            break outerLoop;  // exits BOTH loops, not just the inner one
        }
        System.out.println("i=" + i + ", j=" + j);
    }
}

Best practices

• Use break to stop a loop as soon as further iteration is pointless, avoiding wasted work
• Use labeled break/continue sparingly - they are powerful for nested loops but can make control flow harder to follow if overused
• Prefer restructuring logic into a separate method with an early return over deeply nested labeled breaks when possible
• Use continue to skip invalid items cleanly instead of wrapping the rest of the loop body in a large if block

At a glance

Purpose

General-purpose application development

File extension

.java

Runs in

Java Virtual Machine

Usually used with

JDK and Java libraries

Specifications & further reading

• Java Language Specification

Related Java documentation