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
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
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Two Democrats, Marc Chaaban and Dean Dafis, dropped out of the race, but their names were still on the primary ballot.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dropout
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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
Austin Butler and Saoirse Ronan were originally set to lead the film but dropped out due to scheduling issues.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Two Democrats, Marc Chaaban and Dean Dafis, dropped out of the race, but their names were still on the primary ballot.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 10 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 15 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
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