drop by the wayside vs drop out

drop by the wayside and drop out both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
drop by the wayside	No	No	Yes	No
drop out	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, drop by the wayside and drop out are synonyms defined as:

drop by the wayside and drop out: give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat

Other synonyms of drop by the wayside include chuck up the sponge, fall by the wayside, give up, quit, throw in, throw in the towel.

drop by the wayside (verb)	drop out (verb)
give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat	give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat
	leave school or an educational program prematurely
	withdraw from established society, especially because of disillusion with conventional values