early return

noun

The act of returning from a function before reaching the end of that function.

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Meanings

nounearly return (plural early returns)

plural early returns

  1. computingThe act of returning from a function before reaching the end of that function.

    With RAII, the closing action cannot be skipped or bypassed, even if the function exits the scope prematurely with an early return or by throwing an exception.

    2019, Fedor G. Pikus, Hands-On Design Patterns with C++, page 469
Cite this entry
APA

early return. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/early%20return

MLA

“early return.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/early%20return. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “early return,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/early%20return.

Source: early return on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.