diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 67b5ce4a78..a1a2c1e838 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ New Languages:
 
 Language Improvements:
 
+- fix(js/ts) Prevent for/while/if/switch from falsly matching as functions (#2803) [Josh Goebel][]
 - enh(julia) Update keyword lists for Julia 1.x (#2781) [Fredrik Ekre][]
 - enh(python) Match numeric literals per the language reference [Richard Gibson][]
 - enh(ruby) Match numeric literals per language documentation [Richard Gibson][]
diff --git a/src/languages/javascript.js b/src/languages/javascript.js
index e51589fd29..e2c1243aff 100644
--- a/src/languages/javascript.js
+++ b/src/languages/javascript.js
@@ -359,6 +359,11 @@ export default function(hljs) {
         ],
         illegal: /%/
       },
+      {
+        // prevent this from getting swallowed up by function
+        // since they appear "function like"
+        beginKeywords: "while if switch catch for"
+      },
       {
         className: 'function',
         // we have to count the parens to make sure we actually have the correct
diff --git a/test/markup/javascript/class.expect.txt b/test/markup/javascript/class.expect.txt
index 8f0f53554c..cf8387ee8c 100644
--- a/test/markup/javascript/class.expect.txt
+++ b/test/markup/javascript/class.expect.txt
@@ -19,3 +19,10 @@
   }
   <span class="hljs-function"><span class="hljs-title">onemore</span>(<span class="hljs-params">a=(<span class="hljs-number">3</span>+<span class="hljs-number">2</span>, b=(<span class="hljs-number">5</span>*<span class="hljs-number">9</span>))</span>)</span> {}
 }
+
+<span class="hljs-comment">// these should not be matched as class functions</span>
+<span class="hljs-keyword">for</span>(expr; expr; expr) {}
+<span class="hljs-keyword">while</span>(value) {}
+<span class="hljs-keyword">if</span>(value) {}
+<span class="hljs-keyword">switch</span>(value) {}
+<span class="hljs-keyword">try</span> {} <span class="hljs-keyword">catch</span>(err) {}
diff --git a/test/markup/javascript/class.txt b/test/markup/javascript/class.txt
index db520f2a51..0ba06eab72 100644
--- a/test/markup/javascript/class.txt
+++ b/test/markup/javascript/class.txt
@@ -19,3 +19,10 @@ class Car extends Vehicle {
   }
   onemore(a=(3+2, b=(5*9))) {}
 }
+
+// these should not be matched as class functions
+for(expr; expr; expr) {}
+while(value) {}
+if(value) {}
+switch(value) {}
+try {} catch(err) {}