break (C# Reference) 

The break statement terminates the closest enclosing loop or switch statement in which it appears. Control is passed to the statement that follows the terminated statement, if any.

Example

In this example, the conditional statement contains a counter that is supposed to count from 1 to 100; however, the break statement terminates the loop after 4 counts.

// statements_break.cs
using System;
class BreakTest
{
    static void Main()
    {
        for (int i = 1; i <= 100; i++)
        {
            if (i == 5)
            {
                break;
            }
            Console.WriteLine(i);
        }
    }
}

Output

1
2
3
4

This example demonstrates the use of break in a switch statement.

// statements_break2.cs
// break and switch
using System;
class Switch
{
    static void Main()
    {
        Console.Write("Enter your selection (1, 2, or 3): ");
        string s = Console.ReadLine();
        int n = Int32.Parse(s);

        switch (n)
        {
            case 1:
                Console.WriteLine("Current value is {0}", 1);
                break;
            case 2:
                Console.WriteLine("Current value is {0}", 2);
                break;
            case 3:
                Console.WriteLine("Current value is {0}", 3);
                break;
            default:
                Console.WriteLine("Sorry, invalid selection.");
                break;
        }
    }
}

Input

1

Sample Output

Enter your selection (1, 2, or 3): 1
Current value is 1

Comments

If you entered 4, the output would be:

Enter your selection (1, 2, or 3): 4
Sorry, invalid selection.

C# Language Specification

For more information, see the following sections in the C# Language Specification:

  • 5.3.3.10 Break, continue, and goto statements

  • 8.9.1 The break statement

See Also

Reference

C# Keywords
The break Statement
switch (C# Reference)
Jump Statements (C# Reference)

Concepts

C# Programming Guide

Other Resources

C# Reference