brain drain
or brain-drain
noun
a loss of trained professional personnel to another company, nation, etc., that offers greater opportunity.
Origin of brain drain
First recorded in 1960–65
Words nearby brain drain
brain cell,
brain concussion,
brain coral,
brain damage,
brain death,
brain drain,
brain fart,
brain fever,
brain fingerprinting,
brain freeze,
brain gain
British Dictionary definitions for brain drain
brain drain
noun
informal
the emigration of scientists, technologists, academics, etc, for better pay, equipment, or conditions
Idioms and Phrases with brain drain
brain drain
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.