WordWeb Online

1. Someone who quits school before graduation
    
2. Someone who withdraws from a social group or environment
    
3. An instance of missing or discarded data or signal

1. Stop trying or participating; admit defeat
   "In the second round, the challenger dropped out";
   - give up, fall by the wayside, drop by the wayside, throw in, throw in the towel, quit, chuck up the sponge [US, non-standard]
    
2. Withdraw from established society, especially because of disillusion with conventional values
   "She hasn't heard from her brother in years--he dropped out after moving to California"
    
3. Leave school or an educational program prematurely
   "Many students drop out because they are not prepared for our challenging program"

Derived forms: dropouts, drops out, dropped out, dropping out

Type of: depart, individualist, leave, pull up stakes, quitter, retire, withdraw

Encyclopedia: Dropout