brain drain

noun

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Examples: brain drain in a Sentence

Definition of brain drain

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

See brain drain defined for English-language learners

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 of brain drain from the Web

The conclusion: lack of education, with only a third of adults in the city earning any kind of college degree, and a shortage of high-skilled job opportunities meant a perpetual brain drain.

— marcella bombardieri, The Atlantic, "One College's Struggle to Get Poor Students Through School," 30 May 2018
At the peak of the brain drain in 1979, only 8% of Taiwanese who studied abroad returned to the island after completing their courses, wrote Kevin O’Neill in a paper published by the Migration Policy Institute.

— The Economist, "The next sunriseIdeas from abroad take time to percolate," 17 May 2018
Faisal Shah, a Boise serial tech entrepreneur, blamed a brain drain that has sucked away many promising black and Hispanic college graduates.

— maria l. la ganga, idahostatesman, "Visiting Kentucky leaders ask about race, diversity, and Boise's lack thereof | Idaho Statesman," 9 May 2018
At the least, that risks accelerating the middle-class brain drain, deepening economic and social tensions.

— simon nixon, WSJ, "The Three Challenges the EU Faces in the Western Balkans," 14 May 2018
Although the total number of employees has not diminished significantly from a year ago, the State Department has suffered a brain drain of experienced and respected diplomats.

— carol morello, Washington Post, "Third-highest State official resigns in a heavy blow for the beleaguered agency," 1 Feb. 2018
The state is still performing well overall, says Perry, but if this continues, there’s fears of a brain drain and a shortage of workers on the horizon.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "California housing crisis may lead to economic one, says report," 4 May 2018
Others say the brain drain could be the shock to the system the island needs to devise a long-term economic strategy.

— simon denyer, Washington Post, "Taiwan battles a brain drain as China aims to woo young talent away," 14 Apr. 2018
On top of the brain drain, Taipei has struggled to compete with an increasingly powerful China in diplomacy.

— michael holtz, The Christian Science Monitor, "Beijing's message for young Taiwanese: We mean business," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brain drain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of brain drain

1960

in the meaning defined above

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BRAIN DRAIN Defined for English Language Learners

brain drain

noun

Definition of brain drain for English Language Learners

: a situation in which many educated or professional people leave a particular place or profession and move to another one that gives them better pay or living conditions