A break statement is a programming command used to exit a loop or switch statement prematurely. When the break statement is executed, the control flow of the program jumps to the next statement following the loop or switch, effectively terminating the current iteration or case. This is useful for stopping loops based on certain conditions, such as finding a specific value in an array. In many programming languages, including Python, Java, and C++, the break statement enhances code efficiency and readability. By allowing developers to exit loops early, it helps avoid unnecessary iterations and can improve performance, especially in large datasets or complex algorithms.