The return statement in a program determines the point at which control is passed back from a function or method. It signifies the end of that function’s execution and optionally returns a value to the calling code. If no explicit return statement is encountered, functions will implicitly return when they reach their end. However, if an explicit return statement is used, it can prematurely terminate the function. This allows for greater flexibility in controlling the flow of the program as you can choose to exit a function based on certain conditions being met. In recursive functions, each return statement sends the result back up the call stack, contributing to the final output. The use of multiple return statements should be handled with care as it can make the code harder to read and debug.
