give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat
"In the second round, the challenger gave up"
withdraw from established society, especially because of disillusion with conventional values
"She hasn't heard from her brother in years--he dropped out after moving to California"
leave school or an educational program prematurely
"Many students drop out because they are not prepared for our challenging program"
To leave (school, a race, etc.) prematurely and voluntarily.