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Go Break Statement

Last Updated : July 19, 2025

In Go, the break statement is used to terminate the execution of a loop or switch statement prematurely.

Using break in Loops

You can use break inside for, for-range, and nested loops to exit the loop when a specific condition is met.

Example

This example breaks out of a loop when the counter reaches 5:

package main
import "fmt"

func main() {
    for i := 1; i <= 10; i++ {
        if i == 5 {
            break
        }
        fmt.Println(i)
    }
}

When you run the above code, the output will be:

1
2
3
4

Using break in a for-range Loop

The break statement can also be used to stop iterating over elements of a slice or map once a certain condition is met.

Example

This example iterates through a slice of numbers and breaks when it encounters a negative number:

package main
import "fmt"

func main() {
    numbers := []int{10, 20, 30, -5, 40, 50}

    for _, num := range numbers {
        if num < 0 {
            fmt.Println("Encountered a negative number, breaking loop.")
            break
        }
        fmt.Println(num)
    }
}

When you run the above code, the output will be:

10
20
30
Encountered a negative number, breaking loop.

Using break in Nested Loops

When using nested loops, a break will only exit the innermost loop unless you use labels.

Example

This example breaks the inner loop but continues the outer loop:

package main
import "fmt"

func main() {
    for i := 1; i <= 3; i++ {
        for j := 1; j <= 3; j++ {
            if j == 2 {
                break
            }
            fmt.Printf("i=%d, j=%d\n", i, j)
        }
    }
}

When you run the above code, the output will be:

i=1, j=1
i=2, j=1
i=3, j=1

Using Labeled break

To break out of an outer loop from within an inner loop, you can use a labeled break.

Example

This example exits both loops when a specific condition is met:

package main
import "fmt"

func main() {
outer:
    for i := 1; i <= 3; i++ {
        for j := 1; j <= 3; j++ {
            if i*j > 4 {
                break outer
            }
            fmt.Printf("i=%d, j=%d\n", i, j)
        }
    }
}

When you run the above code, the output will be:

i=1, j=1
i=1, j=2
i=1, j=3
i=2, j=1
i=2, j=2

Exercise

Select the correct answer for each question about the break statement in Go.

1. What does the break statement do in Go? --Select-- It exits the current loop It skips to the next iteration It ends the program
2. What happens when you use break inside a nested loop without a label? --Select-- Only the innermost loop is exited Both loops are exited No loop is exited
3. Which keyword is used to break out of an outer loop in nested loops? --Select-- Labeled break Exit Stop

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