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Break & Continue in Python

  • This lesson explains how break stops a loop and continue skips an iteration in Python.

  • What are Loop Control Statements?

    Loop control statements are used to change the normal flow of a loop.

    They allow us to:

    • Stop a loop

    • Skip an iteration

    • Do nothing temporarily

    Python provides three loop control statements:

    1. break

    2. continue

    3. pass

    1️.break Statement

    The break statement is used to immediately stop a loop, even if the loop condition is still True.

    👉 When break executes, the loop terminates and control moves outside the loop.

    Syntax

    break

    Flow Behavior

    Loop starts → condition checked → break occurs → loop stops

Stopping Loop Using break

This program stops the loop when the number becomes 3 using the break statement. 

for i in range(1, 6):
    if i == 3:
        break
    print(i)

Using break in while Loop

This program terminates the loop when the count reaches 4. 

count = 1
while count <= 5:
    if count == 4:
        break
    print(count)
    count += 1

  • Common Uses of break

    • Search operations

    • Exiting infinite loops

    • Stopping loops on condition match

    2️.continue Statement

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

    👉 The loop does not stop, only the current step is skipped.

    Syntax

    continue

    Flow Behavior

    Loop starts → condition checked → continue occurs → next iteration

Skipping Iteration Using continue

This program skips printing number 3 using the continue statement. 

for i in range(1, 6):
    if i == 3:
        continue
    print(i)

Using continue in while Loop

This program skips even numbers while printing odd numbers. 

num = 0
while num < 6:
    num += 1
    if num % 2 == 0:
        continue
    print(num)

  • Common Uses of continue

    • Skipping unwanted values

    • Filtering data

    • Avoiding complex if blocks

     3️.pass Statement

    The pass statement is a null statement.
     It does nothing when executed.

    👉 It is used as a placeholder where a statement is required syntactically, but no action is needed.

    Syntax

    pass

Using pass in Loop

This program uses pass as a placeholder inside a loop. 

for i in range(1, 6):
    if i == 3:
        pass
    else:
        print(i)

Using pass in if Statement

This program shows how pass can be used when logic is not yet implemented. 

age = 16

if age >= 18:
    pass
else:
    print("Not eligible to vote")

  • Common Uses of pass

    • Empty loops or conditions

    • Future code implementation

    • Avoid syntax errors

    Key Differences: break vs continue vs pass

    Statement

    Action

    break

    Stops the loop completely

    continue

    Skips current iteration

    pass

    Does nothing

    Notes

    • break exits the loop immediately

    • continue skips the current iteration

    • pass is a placeholder statement

    • All are used to control loop behavior

    Where These Are Used?

    • Searching and filtering

    • Validation logic

    • Menu-driven programs

    • Loop control and debugging

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