brain drain

American  

Or brain-drain

noun

brain drains plural

1. a loss of trained professional personnel to another company, nation, etc., that offers greater opportunity.

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brain drain British  

noun

1. informal the emigration of scientists, technologists, academics, etc, for better pay, equipment, or conditions

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brain drain Idioms  

1. The departure of educated or talented persons for better pay or jobs elsewhere, as in The repression of free speech in Germany triggered a brain drain to Britain and America. The term originated about 1960, when many British scientists and intellectuals emigrated to the United States for a better working climate.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• brain drains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of brain drain

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Now, across large swathes of the more rural east, further population falls are expected as the east's post-reunification "brain drain" combines with a national trend: low birth rates.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026

“Now, 2026 is similar. We’re seeing an absolutely gigantic brain drain of the industry.”

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

Nearly a century ago, the U.S. benefited from a European brain drain, as scientists and academics were exiled or fled their home countries.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

The script burns so much energy trying to come up with a surprise that it suffers from brain drain.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

No: they continued to test at about the same levels as before the supposed brain drain.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt