dropout

1 of 2

noun

drop·​out ˈdräp-ˌau̇t 

1

a

: one who drops out of school

b

: one who drops out of conventional society

c

: one who abandons an attempt, activity, or chosen path

a corporate dropout

2

: a momentary defect on a magnetic tape or disk caused by a temporary loss of signal

drop out

2 of 2

verb

ˌdräp-ˈau̇t 

dropped out; dropping out; drops out

intransitive verb

: to withdraw from participation or membership : quit

especially : to withdraw from conventional society

Examples of dropout in a Sentence

Noun

The program is designed for dropouts who wish to get high school equivalency certificates.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Donut Lab And while those numbers might come down a bit once production gets underway, Donut Lab isn't merely the work of some bright-eyed high-IQ college dropouts with their heads in the clouds. —New Atlas, 7 Jan. 2025

The success of dropouts like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Apple’s Steve Jobs, and Facebook/Alphabet’s Marc Zuckerberg were exceptions to such findings. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 28 Dec. 2024

Verb

The Dallas area has dropped out of the nonprofit Milken Institute's annual list of the top 10 best economically performing cities. —Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025

After a hectic day of teams dropping out of the Sasaki sweepstakes like flies, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the Japanese phenom was left choosing between three powerhouse teams. —John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1875, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dropout

1 of 2 noun

drop·​out ˈdräp-ˌau̇t 

: a person who drops out especially from a school or a training program

drop out

2 of 2 verb

dräp-ˈau̇t 

: to withdraw from taking part or membership : quit

dropped out of school