drop out meaning and examples thumbnail

drop out meaning and examples

2025-09-12

Meaning

  • Drop out means to leave or quit something before completing it, such as school, a course, or a competition.
  • It can also mean to stop participating in society or withdraw from an activity.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Phrasal verb (intransitive).

  • Structure:

    • drop out of + noun (e.g., drop out of school, drop out of a race).
    • Subject + drop out (no object) when the context is clear.

Examples of patterns:

  • He decided to drop out of college.
  • She dropped out after the first round of the competition.

Common Phrases

  • drop out of school
  • drop out of college
  • drop out of a race
  • drop out of society

Collocations

  • Verb + drop out: decide to drop out, forced to drop out
  • Noun + drop out: college drop-out, high-school drop-out
  • Adverbs with drop out: suddenly drop out, eventually drop out

Examples

  1. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16.
  2. Many students drop out because of financial difficulties.
  3. She dropped out of the race due to an injury.
  4. They dropped out of the program after just one week.
  5. He dropped out of society and went to live in the mountains.
  6. Several competitors had to drop out halfway through the marathon.
  7. She dropped out to start her own business.
  8. The dropout rate at the university has been rising.
  • quit
  • withdraw
  • leave
  • abandon
  • give up

Antonym

  • enroll
  • join
  • continue
  • complete