diff --git a/src/core/net/dns_client.cpp b/src/core/net/dns_client.cpp
index 043114742..922863390 100644
--- a/src/core/net/dns_client.cpp
+++ b/src/core/net/dns_client.cpp
@@ -1450,7 +1450,7 @@ void Client::HandleTimer(void)
                 if (info.mTransmissionCount >= info.mConfig.GetMaxTxAttempts())
                 {
                     FinalizeQuery(*query, kErrorResponseTimeout);
-                    continue;
+                    break;
                 }
 
                 IgnoreError(SendQuery(*query, info, /* aUpdateTimer */ false));