std::terminate

C++

Language

Headers

Freestanding and hosted implementations

Named requirements

Language support library

Concepts library (C++20)

Diagnostics library

Utilities library

Strings library

Containers library

Algorithms library

Iterators library

Numerics library

Input/output library

Localizations library

Regular expressions library (C++11)

Atomic operations library (C++11)

Thread support library (C++11)

Filesystem library (C++17)

Technical Specifications

Utilities library

Type support (basic types, RTTI, type traits)
Dynamic memory management
Error handling
Program utilities
Variadic functions
Library feature-test macros
Date and time
Function objects
initializer_list (C++11)
bitset
hash (C++11)
integer_sequence (C++14)
Relational operators (deprecated)
rel_ops::operator!=rel_ops::operator>rel_ops::operator<=rel_ops::operator>=
Comparisons (C++20)
strong_order weak_order partial_order strong_equal weak_equal	strong_ordering weak_ordering partial_ordering strong_equality weak_equality	is_eqis_neqis_ltis_lteqis_gtis_gteq
common_comparison_category
Common vocabulary types
pair tuple (C++11) apply (C++17) make_from_tuple (C++17)	optional (C++17) any (C++17) variant (C++17)
Swap, forward and move
swap
exchange (C++14)
forward (C++11)
move (C++11)
move_if_noexcept (C++11)
Elementary string conversions
to_chars (C++17)
from_chars (C++17)
chars_format (C++17)
Type operations
declval (C++11)
as_const (C++17)

Error handling

Exception handling exception uncaught_exceptionuncaught_exceptions (C++17) exception_ptr (C++11) make_exception_ptr (C++11) current_exception (C++11) rethrow_exception (C++11) nested_exception (C++11) throw_with_nested (C++11) rethrow_if_nested (C++11) Exception handling failures terminate terminate_handler get_terminate (C++11) set_terminate bad_exception unexpected (until C++17) unexpected_handler (until C++17) get_unexpected (C++11)(until C++17) set_unexpected (until C++17) Contracts contract_violation (C++20)

Exception categories logic_error invalid_argument domain_error length_error out_of_range runtime_error range_error overflow_error underflow_error tx_exception (TM TS) Error codes Error codes errno Assertions assert system_error facility error_category (C++11) generic_category (C++11) system_category (C++11) error_condition (C++11) errc (C++11) error_code (C++11) system_error (C++11)

Defined in header <exception>
void terminate();		(until C++11)
[[noreturn]] void terminate() noexcept;		(since C++11)

std::terminate() is called by the C++ runtime when exception handling fails for any of the following reasons:

1) an exception is thrown and not caught (it is implementation-defined whether any stack unwinding is done in this case)

2) an exception is thrown during exception handling (e.g. from a destructor of some local object, or from a function that had to be called during exception handling)

3) the constructor or the destructor of a static or thread-local object throws an exception

4) a function registered with std::atexit or std::at_quick_exit throws an exception

5) a noexcept specification is violated (it is implementation-defined whether any stack unwinding is done in this case)

6) a dynamic exception specification is violated and the default handler for std::unexpected is executed 7) a non-default handler for std::unexpected throws an exception that violates the previously violated dynamic exception specification, if the specification does not include std::bad_exception

(until C++17)

8) std::nested_exception::rethrow_nested is called for an object that isn't holding a captured exception

9) an exception is thrown from the initial function of std::thread

10) a joinable std::thread is destroyed or assigned to

11) a function invoked by a parallel algorithm exits via an uncaught exception and the execution policy specifies termination.

(since C++17)

std::terminate() may also be called directly from the program.

In any case, std::terminate calls the currently installed std::terminate_handler. The default std::terminate_handler calls std::abort.

If a destructor reset the terminate handler during stack unwinding and the unwinding later led to terminate being called, the handler that was installed at the end of the throw expression is the one that will be called. (note: it was ambiguous whether re-throwing applied the new handlers)	(until C++11)
If a destructor reset the terminate handler during stack unwinding, it is unspecified which handler is called if the unwinding later led to terminate being called.	(since C++11)

Parameters

(none)

Return value

(none)

Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR	Applied to	Behavior as published	Correct behavior
LWG 2111	C++11	effect of calling set_terminate during stack unwinding differs from C++98 and breaks some ABIs	made unspecified

See also

terminate_handler

the type of the function called by std::terminate (typedef)