drop-out

A student becomes a high school drop-out.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who leaves school or college before completing a course of study: "drop-out" refers to an individual who discontinues their education prematurely.
   • A person who withdraws from conventional society: "drop-out" can also describe someone who rejects mainstream social norms, often to pursue an alternative lifestyle.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He was a high school drop-out who later became a successful entrepreneur. (A person who left high school without graduating.)
  • Many drop-outs from the corporate world move to rural areas to live simply. (People who withdraw from conventional society.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a drop-out": to have left an educational institution or social system prematurely.

  • She was a college drop-out, but she taught herself programming and got a great job. (She left college before finishing her degree.)

• "drop-out rate": the percentage of students who leave school before completing their program.

  • The school reduced its drop-out rate by offering after-school tutoring. (The proportion of students who left early.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dropout (n): an alternative spelling, used interchangeably with "drop-out" (hyphenated or not).

  • The dropout problem is severe in underfunded districts. (The issue of students leaving school early.)

• Drop out (phrasal verb): to leave school, college, or an activity before completion.

  • She decided to drop out of university to start her own business. (To withdraw from an educational program.)

Synonyms

• Quitter: a person who gives up easily or leaves an undertaking.
• Defector: someone who abandons a group, cause, or institution.
• Noncompleter: a student who does not finish a course of study.

Related Idioms

• Fall through the cracks: to be overlooked or neglected, often leading to dropping out.

  • Many at-risk students fall through the cracks and become drop-outs. (They are not given enough support and leave school.)

• Throw in the towel: to give up or abandon an effort.

  • He threw in the towel and became a drop-out after failing several exams. (He gave up on his studies.)