dropout
gb/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt/ us/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
role
1
person who leaves education early
someone who stops studying before finishing
Usage pattern:
[a dropout] (from [school/college/a course])
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse the noun dropout (a person) with the verb phrase drop out (to leave).
Synonyms
early school leaver (More specific to leaving school early; common in UK/policy contexts.)
|
non-completer (More formal and used in education administration.)
Antonyms
graduate (Someone who finishes a course and earns a degree or certificate.)
|
completer (Someone who finishes a course or program (often in official reporting).)
Collocations
high school dropout
|college dropout
|a dropout from school
|a dropout from college
|dropout student
|dropout problem
|dropout figures
|dropout services
|dropout support
|former dropout
Themes
education
|school
|work
Examples
- He left at sixteen and was labeled a school dropout.
- The program helps dropouts earn a high school equivalency diploma.
- She’s a college dropout who later started her own business.
Learner examples
- My cousin is a high school dropout.
- The course is for dropouts who want to return to study.
Noun
C1
abstract
2
leaving a program before finishing
when people stop before finishing
Usage pattern:
dropout (in/among [a group/program])
Common mistake:
In this sense, dropout is often uncountable (e.g., 'dropout is rising') and is not the same as dropout rate (a percentage).
Synonyms
attrition (More formal; used in education, business, and research to mean gradual loss of participants.)
|
withdrawal (Emphasizes a decision to leave rather than a general trend.)
Antonyms
retention (Keeping people enrolled or involved.)
|
completion (Finishing a course or program.)
Collocations
student dropout
|dropout levels
|dropout problem
|dropout among first-years
|dropout in online courses
|dropout during the first semester
|reduce dropout
|high dropout
|dropout from the program
|dropout trends
Themes
education
|society
|statistics
Examples
- Dropout is highest in the first month of the course.
- The school introduced mentoring to reduce dropout.
- Online programs often struggle with dropout over time.
Learner examples
- The goal is to reduce dropout.
- Dropout is a problem in many schools.
Noun
formal
C1
role
3
participant who leaves a study
a person who stops taking part in a study
Usage pattern:
[a dropout] (from [a study/trial])
Synonyms
withdrawn participant (More explicit; common in research writing.)
Antonyms
completer (A participant who finishes the study or trial.)
Collocations
study dropout
|trial dropout
|participant dropout
|dropout from the study
|dropout from the trial
|follow-up with dropouts
|dropout reasons
|dropout bias
|dropout analysis
|dropout in the control group
Themes
health
|science
|research
Examples
- The researchers contacted each dropout to ask why they left the study.
- Dropouts were more common in the first two weeks of the trial.
- The results may be skewed if dropouts differ from those who completed the program.
Learner examples
- There were several dropouts from the study.
Noun
B2
role
4
contestant who withdraws
someone who stops competing
Usage pattern:
[a dropout] (from [a race/competition/election])
Synonyms
withdrawal (Often used for the act; can also refer to the person in context.)
|
withdrawn candidate (More specific to elections.)
Antonyms
finisher (Someone who completes a race or event.)
Collocations
race dropout
|late dropout
|a dropout from the race
|a dropout from the election
|unexpected dropout
|injury-related dropout
|list of dropouts
|one of the dropouts
|dropout announcement
|dropout due to illness
Themes
sports
|politics
|news
Examples
- The marathon had several dropouts because of the heat.
- After a weak showing, he became the first dropout from the primary race.
- Two early dropouts changed the competition’s dynamics.
Learner examples
- She was a dropout from the race because of an injury.
Noun
technical
C1
event
5
brief loss of signal
a short time when the signal stops
Usage pattern:
[a] dropout (in [audio/video/the connection])
Synonyms
interruption (Broader; can be any kind of break, not only signal-related.)
|
cutout (Informal; often refers to sound briefly cutting out.)
Antonyms
continuous signal (No interruptions or gaps.)
Collocations
audio dropout
|video dropout
|signal dropout
|connection dropout
|Bluetooth dropout
|Wi-Fi dropout
|brief dropout
|random dropouts
|dropouts in the sound
|dropouts during the call
Themes
technology
|media
|communication
Examples
- We heard a few dropouts in the audio during the livestream.
- The headset causes occasional dropouts when I turn my head.
- A brief network dropout froze the video for a second.
Learner examples
- There was a dropout in the sound.
Noun
technical
C1
event
6
missing recorded information
a small missing part in a recording
Usage pattern:
[a] dropout (on [tape/film/a recording])
Synonyms
glitch (General term for a small fault; not specifically missing recorded data.)
Antonyms
clean playback (Playback without defects or missing sections.)
Collocations
tape dropout
|dropout on the tape
|dropout on the recording
|dropouts on old cassettes
|visible dropout
|dropout artifacts
|repair dropouts
|dropout damage
|dropout in the soundtrack
|dropout in the image
Themes
technology
|media
Examples
- The archivist noted several dropouts on the original tape.
- Old VHS copies often have dropouts that appear as flashes of noise.
- After restoration, most of the dropouts were no longer noticeable.
Learner examples
- The old tape has dropouts.
Noun
informal
C1
role
7
person rejecting mainstream life
someone who quits a normal way of life
Usage pattern:
[a] dropout
Common mistake:
This use can sound judgmental; in many contexts it’s better to describe the person more specifically.
Synonyms
misfit (Focuses on not fitting in, not necessarily leaving school or work.)
|
drifter (Emphasizes a lack of stability or direction.)
Antonyms
go-getter (Someone seen as ambitious and energetic.)
Collocations
a social dropout
|a counterculture dropout
|a total dropout
|a burnout and dropout
|seen as a dropout
|treated like a dropout
|call someone a dropout
|label someone a dropout
|dropout lifestyle
|dropout generation
Themes
society
|identity
|work
Examples
- His parents worried he’d become a dropout with no plans.
- The film portrays her as a dropout who refuses the corporate life.
- He hated being dismissed as a dropout just because he changed direction.
Learner examples
- They called him a dropout.
Noun
technical
C2
process
8
neural network regularization method
a training method that randomly turns off parts of a model
Usage pattern:
dropout (in [a neural network/model])
Synonyms
regularization (Broader category; dropout is one specific method.)
Antonyms
overfitting (A common problem that dropout is used to reduce.)
Collocations
apply dropout
|dropout layer
|dropout rate
|dropout probability
|use dropout
|enable dropout
|disable dropout
|dropout during training
|Monte Carlo dropout
|dropout regularization
Themes
technology
|computing
|data_science
Examples
- Adding dropout improved validation accuracy on the small dataset.
- The model uses a dropout layer between the two dense layers.
- With dropout turned on, training takes slightly longer but generalizes better.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dropout
IPA
GB/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt/
US/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt/
Syllables & stress
dro - pout (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (dro)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: dropout
- Plural: dropouts
Word family
Expressions
drop out (of something)
1/dɹˈɑp ˈaʊt əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
phrasal verb
leave before finishing
to stop before you finish
Examples
- She dropped out of college after the first year.
- He dropped out of the training program because he found a job.
- If you drop out now, you can reapply next semester.
dropout prevention
1/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt pɹivˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase
efforts to reduce dropouts
helping students stay and finish
Examples
- The district invested in dropout prevention programs for at-risk students.
- Mentoring and tutoring are common dropout prevention strategies.
- Dropout prevention starts with identifying problems early.
dropout rate
1/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt ɹˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
percentage who leave early
the percent who stop before finishing
Examples
- The school’s dropout rate has fallen over the past five years.
- Online courses often have a high dropout rate.
- Researchers adjusted their analysis to account for the dropout rate.
dropout regularization
1/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt ɹˈɛɡjəlɚɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
regularization using dropout
using dropout to help a model generalize
Examples
- Dropout regularization reduced overfitting on the training set.
- The paper compares dropout regularization with weight decay.
- They tuned dropout regularization to balance accuracy and stability.
dropout risk
1/dɹˈɑpˌaʊt ɹˈɪsk/
fixed phrase
chance of leaving early
the chance that someone will quit early
Examples
- Students who work full time may have a higher dropout risk.
- The team built a model to predict dropout risk in the first semester.
- Regular check-ins helped lower dropout risk for new participants.
signal dropout
1/sˈɪɡnəl dɹˈɑpˌaʊt/
fixed phrase
technical
brief loss of signal
a short time when the signal stops
Examples
- We experienced signal dropout during the video call.
- Signal dropout is common in underground stations.
- The technician traced the signal dropout to a loose cable.