brain drain

noun

: the departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another usually for better pay or living conditions

Examples of brain drain in a Sentence

Nothing has been done to stop the brain drain as more and more doctors move away from the area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This brain drain can severely delay projects from getting off the ground and hurt the overall productivity of the company. Dave Friend, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 Zoom in: Energy and Commerce has undergone something of an energy policy brain drain in recent years with retirements and electoral churn. Daniel Moore, Axios, 15 Feb. 2025 Trump’s actions threaten to trigger a brain drain from the U.S., as researchers in important laboratories have begun looking for jobs abroad or started to field recruitment offers. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025 So there may well be a brain drain of IT talent in the federal government, or a constant turnover of both senior IT leadership and other technical experts. Richard Forno, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brain drain

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brain drain was in 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Brain drain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain%20drain. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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