1. chuck up the sponge, drop by the wayside, drop out, fall by the wayside, give up, quit, throw in, throw in the towel

give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat

Example Sentences:
'In the second round, the challenger gave up'

Synonyms

• chuck up the sponge
• drop by the wayside
• fall by the wayside
• give up
• quit
• throw in
• throw in the towel

2. drop out

withdraw from established society, especially because of disillusion with conventional values

Example Sentences:
'She hasn't heard from her brother in years--he dropped out after moving to California'

3. drop out

leave school or an educational program prematurely

Example Sentences:
'Many students drop out because they are not prepared for our challenging program'