What is the purpose of the break statement in JavaScript?

The break statement in JavaScript is used to exit a control structure, such as a loop (for, while) or a switch statement. When the break statement is encountered, the program flow is immediately transferred to the next statement following the control structure. This is particularly useful in scenarios where a certain condition is met, and there is no need to continue executing the remaining iterations of the loop or evaluating additional cases in a switch statement.

For example, in a loop that is meant to iterate through a list of numbers, if a certain condition is satisfied (like finding a specific number), using break will allow the program to terminate that loop immediately, avoiding unnecessary iterations. This helps enhance efficiency and control the flow of execution precisely as required.