The error “SyntaxError: ‘break’ outside loop” happens when you don’t put a ‘break’ statement in the loop. To fix the error, let follow the article below.
What causes the error “SyntaxError: ‘break’ outside loop” in Python?
Example:
myList = ["learnshareit", "google", "stackoverflow"] # 'break' is in the wrong place for s in myList: print(s) break
Output:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "prog.py", line 4
break
^^^^^
SyntaxError: 'break' outside loop
How to solve this error?
Put the ‘break’ statement in the right place
The simplest way to solve that error is to put a ‘break’ statement inside the loop.
Example:
- Create a list.
- Using a for loop, I only want to print out one element in the list, so after the print statement, I use a ‘break’ statement to finish.
myList = ["learnshareit", "google", "stackoverflow"] # Put 'break' inside the for loop for s in myList: print(s) break print(s)
Output:
learnshareit
Use sys.exit() function
In Python, the ‘sys’ module has a built-in function sys.exit() that exits the program.
Syntax:
sys.exit()
Example:
- Import module ‘sys’.
- Create a list.
- Using a for loop, I only want to print out one element in the list, so after the print statement, I use the sys.exit() function to finishing.
import sys myList = ["learnshareit", "google", "stackoverflow"] # Use the sys.exit() function to finishing for s in myList: print(s) sys.exit() print(s)
Output:
learnshareit
Use exit() function
You can also use the exit() function to end the program. Note that the exit() function only works when the ‘site’ module is imported, so you should only use it in the compiler. The sys.exit() function is still more optimal if you use it to end the program.
Syntax:
exit()
Example:
- Create a list.
- Using a for loop, I only want to print out one element in the list, so after the print statement, I use the exit() function to finishing.
myList = ["learnshareit", "google", "stackoverflow"] # Use the exit() function to finishing for s in myList: print(s) exit() print(s)
Use os.exit() function
A function that also has a function to exit the program is the os._exit() function. But this function is used to exit when an immediate exit is required. It will not clear the cache. Call the cleanup handler so that I would recommend still using the sys.exit() function.
Syntax:
os._exit()
Steps:
- Create a list.
- Using a for loop, I only want to print out one element in the list, so after the print statement, I use the os._exit() function to finishing.
Example:
import os myList = ["learnshareit", "google", "stackoverflow"] # Use the os._exit() function to finishing. for s in myList: print(s) os._exit(0)
Output:
visit
It would be best if you imported the ‘os’ module because the os._exit() function is in it. I do not print any value and end the program.
Summary
If you have any questions about the “SyntaxError: ‘break’ outside loop” error in Python, please leave a comment below. I will answer your questions as possible. Thanks for reading!
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My name is Jason Wilson, you can call me Jason. My major is information technology, and I am proficient in C++, Python, and Java. I hope my writings are useful to you while you study programming languages.
Name of the university: HHAU
Major: IT
Programming Languages: C++, Python, Java