# drop out

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/drop-out
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to stop doing something before you have finished, such as a school course or a competition.

For teachers: to withdraw from an educational program, competition, or social group before completion. The verb is primarily intransitive but frequently takes a prepositional phrase starting with 'of' to specify the activity.

## Examples

- He had to drop out of the marathon because his knee hurt.
- Many students drop out of university during their first year because they find the workload too heavy.
- The research study faced significant challenges when nearly half of the participants chose to drop out before the final data collection phase.

## Pitfalls

- Not "She dropped out the course." but "She dropped out of the course." — the preposition 'of' is necessary when the activity or institution is mentioned as an object.

## Usage notes

- usually requires the preposition 'of' if you name the specific thing you are leaving.
- Teaching tip: useful for discussing education systems; mention the noun form 'dropout' to describe a person who leaves school early.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.