Difference between Return and Break statements

Question

How does a return statement differ from break statement?.
If I have to exit an if condition, which one should I prefer, return or break?

Answer 1

break is used to exit (escape) the for-loop, while-loop, switch-statement that you are currently executing.

return will exit the entire method you are currently executing (and possibly return a value to the caller, optional).

So to answer your question (as others have noted in comments and answers) you cannot use either break nor return to escape an if-else-statement per se. They are used to escape other scopes.

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Consider the following example. The value of x inside the while-loop will determine if the code below the loop will be executed or not:

void f()
{
   int x = -1;
   while(true)
   {
     if(x == 0)
        break;         // escape while() and jump to execute code after the the loop 
     else if(x == 1)
        return;        // will end the function f() immediately,
                       // no further code inside this method will be executed.

     do stuff and eventually set variable x to either 0 or 1
     ...
   }

   code that will be executed on break (but not with return).
   ....
}

Answer 2

break is used when you want to exit from the loop, while return is used to go back to the step where it was called or to stop further execution.

Answer 3

No offence, but none of the other answers (so far) has it quite right.

break is used to immediately terminate a for loop, a while loop or a switch statement. You can not break from an if block.

return is used the terminate a method (and possibly return a value).

A return within any loop or block will of course also immediately terminate that loop/block.