In C++, what is the purpose of the 'break' statement in loops?

The 'break' statement in C++ serves the specific purpose of exiting a loop immediately. When 'break' is executed inside a loop, whether it is a 'for', 'while', or 'do-while' loop, the control is transferred out of the loop, and the program continues with the next statement that follows the loop. This functionality is particularly useful when a certain condition has been met, and there is no need to continue iterating through the loop.

For example, consider a scenario where you are searching for a specific value in a list. Once you find that value, using 'break' allows you to exit the loop early because you no longer need to check the remaining elements. This can improve efficiency and clarity in your code.

The other options do not accurately describe the role of 'break' in the context of loops. While terminating the program, pausing execution, or skipping to the next iteration are relevant concepts in programming, they do not capture the primary function of the 'break' statement, which is strictly to end the execution of the loop in which it is contained.