End the While Loop in Python

1. End a while Loop in Python Using the break Statement
2. End a while Loop in Python Within a Function Using the return Statement

This article will explain how we can end a while loop in Python. A while loop is a control flow statement used to repeat a specific code again and again until the specified condition is not reached. It can be considered as a repeating if statement.

We can end a while loop with a True condition within a function body and outside a function body in the following two ways in Python.

End a while Loop in Python Using the break Statement

We can end a while loop outside a function body by simply using a break statement. Suppose we have a list of numbers, and we want to end the while loop if we lose the number is greater than a certain value.

The example below demonstrates how to end a while loop using the break statement in Python.

mylist = [1, 4, 2, 7, 16, 3, 2, 8]

while True:
  if mylist[-1] < 5:
    print("less than 5")
  if mylist[-1] > 10:
    print("greater than 10")
    break
  if mylist[-1] > 5:
    print("greater than 5")
  mylist.pop()

Output:

greater than 5
less than 5
less than 5
greater than 10

We can also end a while loop within a function body using the break statement in Python, as demonstrated in the below example code.

mylist = [1, 4, 2, 7, 16, 3, 2, 8]

def myfunc():
  while True:
    if mylist[-1] < 5:
      print("less than 5")
    if mylist[-1] > 10:
      print("greater than 10")
      break
    if mylist[-1] > 5:
      print("greater than 5")
    mylist.pop()
  return

if __name__ == "__main__":
  myfunc()

Output:

greater than 5
less than 5
less than 5
greater than 10

End a while Loop in Python Within a Function Using the return Statement

We can end a while loop in Python within a function using the return statement. In a function, we can also use the return statement instead of the break statement to end a while loop, which will stop the while loop and end the function’s execution.

The example below demonstrates how to use a return statement within a function body to end the while loop in Python.

mylist = [1, 4, 2, 7, 16, 3, 2, 8]

def myfunc():
  while True:
    if mylist[-1] < 5:
      print("less than 5")
    if mylist[-1] > 10:
      print("greater than 10")
      return
    if mylist[-1] > 5:
      print("greater than 5")
    mylist.pop()

if __name__ == "__main__":
  myfunc()

Output:

greater than 5
less than 5
less than 5
greater than 10