What is the purpose of the return statement in the C language?

The return statement in the C language is used to return the result of a function’s execution to the caller. It serves the following purposes:

1. The function returns the result of its execution: using the return statement, the function can pass the calculated result back to the caller, allowing them to use this returned value for further operations.
2. Terminating function execution: When the return statement is executed within a function, the function will immediately stop running and return to the calling point, and any subsequent code will not be executed. This can be used to prematurely end the execution of a function under certain conditions.
3. Transfer control back to the program: The return statement allows control to be returned to the caller, enabling nested function calls and recursive calls.
4. Return error code or status: In certain situations, a function may encounter errors or exceptions during execution. By using a return statement, the function can provide an error code or status value for the caller to determine if the function was executed successfully.

It is important to note that the return statement can only be used within a function body, and it can be followed by an expression or a constant to specify the return value of the function. If the return type of the function is void, the return statement can be omitted or just use the return keyword without an expression.