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

From residency dropout to bestseller In the last few years, Attia has become a household name for those curious about longevity medicine, the science behind extending one’s lifespan while protecting health and vigor. —Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026

And later a valve on the Orion capsule malfunctioned as engineers also attempted to troubleshoot several dropouts of ground teams’ audio communications channels. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 3 Feb. 2026

Verb

Allred, a former congressman, challenged Ted Cruz for Senate in 2024 and dropped out of the 2026 Senate Democratic primary in December, instead opting to run for Congressional District 33 in North Texas. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026

Those who do poorly often drop out. —Esme Murphy, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1819, 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