dropout

1 of 2

noun

drop·​out ˈdräp-ˌau̇t How to pronounce dropout (audio)
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

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
It was founded by college dropouts who were helping to invent Instagram virality in 2011 by sharing funny photos and captions—memes—on the nascent social app. Alexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 Colorado State, Clemson and Florida Atlantic are the week’s other dropouts. USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 Over her journey from high school dropout to Fed president, Daly has encountered all kinds of roadblocks. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Directed by Deborah Riley Draper, James Brown: Say It Loud presents an unvarnished look at Brown’s uphill climb from seventh grade dropout, shoeshine boy and buck dancer to soul/funk pioneer, business mogul and civil rights activist. Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2024 Ahead of the dropout announcement, Christie was caught on a hot mic apparently criticizing his former opponents during his campaign’s livestream. Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner, 11 Jan. 2024 The tight labor market and more college dropouts have forced most organizations to rethink their hiring. Kara Dennison, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Student loan debt for more than a million college dropouts grew by nearly $1 billion in recent years, according to a new report. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 The cause of the communications dropout and the helicopter’s orientation at time of touchdown are still being investigated. IEEE Spectrum, 26 Jan. 2024
Verb
At 24, Ballmer dropped out of Stanford Business School to join Microsoft and Gates, his former Harvard classmate. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2024 Attending a segregated school, Foster got as far as the eighth grade before dropping out to pursue his athletic talents. Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2024 Prince William dropped out of the ceremony honoring his godfather King Constantine of Greece last month amid Kate Middleton's cancer treatment. Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 When an October Wisconsin Policy Forum report found about 1% of Wisconsin students seemed to be missing from school headcounts, researchers said some of them might have fully dropped out of school or been absent so often that they weren't counted by their schools on any of the headcount days. Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024 More:Mowery drops out of Marion County GOP race following IndyStar report Rory Appleton is a reporter at IndyStar. Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Mar. 2024 While Trump's final primary opponent, Nikki Haley, dropped out two weeks ago, and Trump clinched enough delegates to win the nomination last week, roughly 20% of Republican voters again selected candidates other than Trump across several states that voted Tuesday. Rick Klein, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 What are some of those and why did some states drop out of this program? Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 Recent data suggests that Bell isn’t alone in his response to simply drop out. Jordan P. Hickey, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dropout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dropout was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near dropout

Cite this Entry

“Dropout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dropout. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dropout

1 of 2 noun
drop·​out ˈdräp-ˌau̇t How to pronounce dropout (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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