brain drain

American  

Or brain-drain

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of brain drain

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

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

The brain drain has been catastrophic at the department, which is engulfed in personnel chaos.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

Experts also point to a low level of innovation and research spending, among the lowest in the EU, and relatively low pay for scientists, contributing to a "brain drain".

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Longer term, Greenland faces challenges familiar to many Western economies, including an aging population and a brain drain as educated locals pursue careers in Denmark.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 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