dropout

noun

drop·out | \ ˈdräp-ˌau̇t

Definition of dropout

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

verb

\ ˌdräp-ˈau̇t

dropped out; dropping out; drops out

Definition of drop out (Entry 2 of 2)

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

But a closer look at Mr. Salvini’s decisions in power suggests the open-shirted former college dropout from a gritty working class part of Milan is more of a pragmatist than his rhetoric implies. — Giovanni Legorano, WSJ, "Italy’s Far-Right Firebrand Takes Aim at Europe," 13 Feb. 2019 Just eight years ago, the college dropout rose to the highest elected office in Wisconsin. — Scott Bauer, The Seattle Times, "Walker leaves a fundamentally changed Wisconsin," 7 Jan. 2019 Some were military veterans suffering from PTSD, and others were high-school dropouts. — Katherine Long, The Seattle Times, "Students who beat steep odds credit Washington educators who wouldn’t give up on them," 4 Feb. 2019 Particularly when the idea comes from a precocious wunderkind college dropout claiming to have solved some intractable problem that the entire scientific establishment thinks impossible. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "The downfall of Theranos, from the journalist who made it happen," 15 July 2018 At the time, a third of Louisiana's adults were high school dropouts. — The Hechinger Report, NOLA.com, "How Louisiana's students came to rely on TOPS, and what might happen now," 27 Mar. 2018 About his schooling, Jimmy Breslin, born in Queens, notes that no one could call him a high-school dropout. — Dorothy Rabinowitz, WSJ, "‘Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists’ Review: Blue Collars, Stained With Ink," 24 Jan. 2019 Tess Rinearson Tess Rinearson, 24, isn’t shy about telling you she’s a college dropout. — Morgen Peck, Glamour, "Cryptocurrency Is Not Just a Boys' Club," 11 Dec. 2018 Realistically, the 60 million Americans currently earning less than $15 per hour (plus many retirees and longtime labor force dropouts) would also stampede into this program. — Brian Riedl, Vox, "America might be ready for democratic socialism. It’s not ready for the bill.," 7 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dropout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.