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
dropped out; dropping out; drops out
: 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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Test scores, dropout rates, college prep work — and, later, college graduation rates and the higher incomes that often come with those degrees — all favor wealthy students over lower-income students.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 17 Feb. 2026
Marin is a free-spirited place, a place of natural beauty, a place to unplug and drop out.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dropout
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The film unfolds across two timelines, 2009 and 2025, centering on a chronically online college dropout and an underage OnlyFans streamer who are contacted by the same mysterious stalker.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Test scores, dropout rates, college prep work — and, later, college graduation rates and the higher incomes that often come with those degrees — all favor wealthy students over lower-income students.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
The civil rights activist would later drop out of the Chicago Theological Seminary to help King with the SCLC’s northern movement in the Windy City and didn’t receive a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary until 2000.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 17 Feb. 2026
Marin is a free-spirited place, a place of natural beauty, a place to unplug and drop out.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dropout
Cite this Entry
“Dropout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dropout. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
: to withdraw from taking part or membership : quit
dropped out of school
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
