break and continue

Learn to exit a loop with break and skip with continue.

break and continue

break ends a loop immediately; continue skips the current step and continues the loop.

for (i in 1..5) {
    if (i == 3) break
    println(i)
}
// prints 1, 2

Here when i reaches 3, break ends the loop; 3, 4, 5 are not printed. break is used with a condition.

continue only skips one step: if (i == 3) continue skips 3, the loop continues.

Exercise Stop at 3

Write a fun main(). In a for (i in 1..5) loop, use if (i == 3) break to end the loop at 3. Print each value with println(i). The output should be 1 and 2.

Show example solution

fun main() {
    for (i in 1..5) {
        if (i == 3) break
        println(i)
    }
}

Skipping with continue

continue skips the current step but keeps the loop going. It is handy to filter out certain cases.

for (i in 1..5) {
    if (i == 3) continue
    println(i)
}
// prints 1, 2, 4, 5

Here when i is 3, continue skips that step; println does not run. The loop continues with 4 and 5.

break ends the loop entirely, while continue only skips one step. Both are used with a condition.

Test yourself

What does break do?
- Ends the loop
- Skips a step
- Restarts the loop
- Throws an error
Show answer

Ends the loop — break exits the loop immediately.

Complete the break keyword

for (i in 1..5) {
    if (i == 3) ____
    println(i)
}

Show answer

for (i in 1..5) {
    if (i == 3) break
    println(i)
}

Match break and continue

break

Ends the loop
continue

Skips a step
if (i == 3) break

Stop at 3
if (i == 3) continue

Skip 3

Next lesson: Summary - Loops

We Are Enhancing Your Experience

Cookie Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Analytical Cookies