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

While Meta is gaining a 49% stake in the startup, Zuckerberg’s real prize in the deal was hiring Wang, a dropout from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who started his company at age 19. —Ari Levy, CNBC, 21 June 2025

This sudden change disrupted high-frequency radio signals, leading to communication dropouts for some radio operators across affected regions. —Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 14 May 2025

Verb

Again and again, the Leafs have witnessed firsthand — from Spezza to Wayne Simmonds, Patrick Marleau, Mark Giordano, TJ Brodie and Joe Thornton, among others — how quickly the bottom can drop out on older players. —Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 19 June 2025

Gonzales said dropping out as a senior felt like the end of the road. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1875, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dropout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dugout

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