What does dropout mean?
A dropout is someone who leaves a school, college, or other structured program before completing it. The word is most often heard in discussions of education, where statistics such as the "dropout rate" measure how many students fail to finish high school or university. It carries a mildly negative connotation in official contexts, implying unfinished commitments, yet it can also be worn as a badge of independence — celebrated figures like Steve Jobs are famously described as college dropouts who achieved extraordinary success outside the classroom. A second, older sense describes someone who withdraws from mainstream society altogether, a usage popularized by 1960s counterculture. The noun is written as one word, while the corresponding verb phrase is two words: students drop out, but they remain dropouts.
A person who withdraws from school, college, or another organized program before completing it.
"He left university after one year, becoming a dropout at nineteen."
Written as one word; the related verb is the two-word phrase "drop out."
A momentary failure or interruption of an electrical signal, audio playback, or data transmission.
"Listeners complained about dropouts in the radio broadcast during the storm."
Often hyphenated as "drop-out" in technical writing.
Regular plural; used especially in statistics such as "the number of dropouts."
"The state reported fewer dropouts this year than at any point in the past decade."
Some of the world's most famous innovators — including Steve Jobs and Bill Gates — are celebrated college dropouts, proof that leaving the system can sometimes be the start of building a new one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dropout
Dropout is formed by compounding the verb "drop out," itself from Old English "dropa" meaning a drop of liquid, combined with the adverb "out." The phrasal verb emerged in English centuries ago, and the compound noun solidified in the early twentieth century, initially in American educational contexts describing students who withdrew before graduation. Its countercultural sense was cemented in 1966 when Timothy Leary popularized the phrase "turn on, tune in, drop out." The underlying root is Germanic; cognates include Dutch "druppel" and German "Tropfen," both meaning droplet.
How dropout is actually used
"Dropout" is written as one word when used as a noun; the two-word verb form is always "drop out." The term is neutral-to-slightly negative in formal educational contexts, though it can be used admiringly of entrepreneurs and artists who left school to pursue success elsewhere.
Easily confused with dropout
A 'drop-off' is a decline in quantity or an act of leaving someone or something at a place, whereas a 'dropout' is a person who quits a program before finishing it.