English

Verb

drop out ‎(third-person singular simple present drops out, present participle dropping out, simple past and past participle dropped out)

1. Used other than as an idiom: see drop,‎ out.
   • 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

     Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.

2. (idiomatic) Prematurely and voluntarily leave (school, a race, or the like).

   Nothing went well in high school, so he dropped out.

3. (of sound, electronic signal, etc.) To be lost or momentarily interrupted.

   I can't make phone calls because the line keeps dropping out.

Usage notes

• Often used with of: “drop out of the race”

Related terms

• drop
• drop-out, dropout

See also

• flunk out