flunk out

verb

flunked out; flunking out; flunks out

intransitive verb

: to be dismissed from a school or college for failure

transitive verb

: to dismiss from a school or college for failure

Examples of flunk out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Already, Rashad had flunked out of eighth grade and gone to summer school to catch up. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024 That very day in 1963, Mr. Epstein had borrowed his stepfather’s car and driven from New York City to the Cornell campus in upstate Ithaca, N.Y., to try to wangle his way back into school after having flunked out seven years earlier. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024 When Danny is on the verge of flunking out and JD gets notified of imminent deployment, the two are forced to confront their shared grief that led them to these paths. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023 Reggie’s pals: Bug (Jamie Foxx), a Boston terrier; Australian shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher); and a mild-mannered Great Dane, Hunter (Randall Park) who flunked out of the police academy and became a therapy animal. cleveland, 17 Aug. 2023 The kid is flunking out of private school, has spearheaded a dozen or more extracurricular clubs, agitates to have Latin added to the curriculum, and directs a remarkably detailed stage production of Serpico. Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 June 2023 And by the end of the academic year, Logan had flunked out. Dateline Nbc, NBC News, 21 June 2023 After flunking out of the University of Florida in 1966, Mr. Pride enlisted in the Army, learned Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., and was deployed to West Germany. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 12 May 2023 After graduating from Clearwater High School, Mr. Pride attended the University of Florida before flunking out and joining the Army, which stationed him in West Germany as a Russian linguist. Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flunk out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of flunk out was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near flunk out

Cite this Entry

“Flunk out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flunk%20out. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flunk out

verb
: to dismiss or be dismissed from a school for failing
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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