drop out

Meaning

To leave a school, college, university, or program before finishing it. It is widely used in both everyday conversation and educational statistics. When followed by an object, it requires the preposition 'of'.

Examples

• He decided to drop out of university to start his own technology company.

  He decided to drop out of university to start his own technology company.

• High tuition fees cause many students to drop out after their first year.

  High tuition fees cause many students to drop out after their first year.

• She didn't want to drop out, but she had to work full-time to support her family.

  She didn't want to drop out, but she had to work full-time to support her family.

• The school has introduced new support programs to prevent students from dropping out.

  The school has introduced new support programs to prevent students from dropping out.

• Bill Gates famously dropped out of Harvard to focus on Microsoft.

  Bill Gates famously dropped out of Harvard to focus on Microsoft.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He dropped out university last semester.

  ✓ He dropped out of university last semester.

  If you mention the institution, you must use the preposition 'of' after 'drop out'.

• ✗ She is a drop out student.

  ✓ She is a dropout.

  'Drop out' is the phrasal verb. The single word 'dropout' is a noun referring to the person who left school. You do not need to add 'student' after it.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If the workload is too heavy, some students might ______ ______ of the program.

  💡 Leave the course before completing it.

  Show answer

  drop out

• He didn't finish his degree; he chose to ______ ______ instead.

  💡 Stop attending school/university.

  Show answer

  drop out