flunk out
Idioms-
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]
-
Fail at anything, as in The camera ran out of film so we flunked out as photographers . [ Slang ; late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The difference between dropping the SAT and dropping the civil service examination is that incompetent students flunk out in a year or so.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
"I didn't exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of."
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
