dropout
n.a person who leaves school, college, or a training program before they have finished it. It can also mean the act of stopping something before it is complete.
n.a person who withdraws from an educational institution or a competitive process before completion. In technical contexts, refers to a momentary loss of signal or power.
“He became a successful entrepreneur after being a college dropout.”
“The university implemented new mentoring programs to reduce the high dropout rate among first-year engineering students.”
“While some view the high school dropout as a failure of the individual, sociologists often point to systemic economic barriers that force students into the workforce prematurely.”
Often used as a modifier before another noun, such as 'dropout rate' or 'dropout student'.
Deverbal from drop out.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.