C++ The Return Keyword
Return Values
The void
keyword, used in the previous examples, indicates that the function should not return a value. If you want the function to return a value, you can use a data type (such as int
, string
, etc.) instead of void
, and use the return
keyword inside the function:
Example
int myFunction(int x) {
return 5 + x;
}
int main() {
cout << myFunction(3);
return 0;
}
// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)
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This example returns the sum of a function with two parameters:
Example
int myFunction(int x, int y) {
return x + y;
}
int main() {
cout << myFunction(5, 3);
return 0;
}
// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)
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You can also store the result in a variable:
Example
int myFunction(int x, int y) {
return x + y;
}
int main() {
int z = myFunction(5, 3);
cout << z;
return 0;
}
// Outputs 8 (5 + 3)
Try it Yourself »