Jump Statements in JAVA - Types of Statements in JAVA (With Examples)

Jump statements in Java are used to transfer control from one part of a program to another, altering the normal sequential flow of execution. Java provides three main jump statements: break, continue, and return.

break Statement

Immediately terminates the nearest enclosing loop or switch statement, and execution resumes right after it.

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
    if (i == 5) {
        break;
    }
    System.out.println(i);
}
// prints 1 2 3 4

continue Statement

Skips the rest of the current loop iteration and moves directly to the next iteration, without exiting the loop entirely.

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) {
        continue;
    }
    System.out.println(i);
}
// prints 1 2 4 5

return Statement

Exits the current method immediately and optionally sends a value back to the caller. Any code after return in the same block will not execute.

int square(int n) {
    return n * n; // exits the method with a value
}

Labeled break and continue

Java also supports labels on loops, allowing break or continue to target a specific outer loop when working with nested loops.

outer:
for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
    for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
        if (j == 2) {
            continue outer;
        }
        System.out.println(i + "," + j);
    }
}

• break — exits a loop or switch entirely
• continue — skips to the next loop iteration
• return — exits a method, optionally returning a value