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

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

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

Some non-approvals owe to manufacturing problems, but another culprit is an agency brain drain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

The more who leave, the better, because the brain drain is going to free up a lot of real estate and help solve the housing crisis.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2025

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