flunk out

Idioms  

1. Expel or be expelled from a school because one's work does not meet the required standard. For example, He flunked out of Harvard after just one year . [ Slang ; early 1800s]

2. Fail at anything, as in The camera ran out of film so we flunked out as photographers . [ Slang ; late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

If I got a football scholarship but had no place to live, no priority registration and no financial support, I’d flunk out of school.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2021

He said standards are high enough that about 5-to-10% of those inducted into Horizon’s training program flunk out and never become line pilots.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2019

“It’s the same in retirement, with one important difference: You can flunk out of college and still recover. If you flunk retirement, it’s much less forgiving.”

From Washington Post • Jun. 7, 2019

In fact, about 90 percent of experimental treatments flunk out during clinical trials, either because they aren’t shown to be any more effective than the standard treatment or because their side effects are too severe.

From Slate • Jul. 25, 2017

"I didn't exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of."

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger