flunk out
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
flunk out
1. To no longer be allowed to participate in something (often some form of schooling) due to failing grades. I started going to the tutoring center because another failing grade means I'll flunk out of school! Well, quite simply, I had zero interest in school—that's why I flunked out. My parents were furious to learn that I had flunked out of college.
2. By extension, to fail in any pursuit. I flunked out as a model because I hated having to travel so much. Like so many other kids, I dreamed of being a professional baseball player—and flunked out because I simply wasn't talented enough. If she kills every plant she touches, I think she's going to flunk out as a gardener!
3. To give one a grade that causes them to fail a course or academic program. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "flunk" and "out." But if you don't give me at least a B, you'll flunk me out! I'm skeptical of his story that one teacher flunked him out solely because she didn't like him. Well, if you didn't want me to flunk you out, you should have put more effort into your term paper!
See also: out
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
flunk someone out
to give one a grade that forces one to leave school or a course. The math professor flunked me out. He expects too much. She flunked out half the class!
See also: out
flunk out (of something)
to leave school or a course because of failure. Fred flunked out of school and never tried to go back. That's it. All F's. I've flunked out.
See also: out
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
flunk out
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]
See also: out
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
flunk out
v.
To expel or be expelled from a school or course because of work that does not meet requirements or standards: His grade-point average was less than 2.0, so the college flunked him out. Students lacking adequate math skills will flunk out of the physics program.
See also: out
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.