white flight

noun

: the departure of whites from places (such as urban neighborhoods or schools) increasingly or predominantly populated by minorities

Examples of white flight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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With white flight shifting economic investment to the suburbs, where Black Detroiters encountered racial discrimination, belonging for Black Detroiters in the city became critical. Carla Vecchiola, The Conversation, 26 June 2026 In fact, along with the desire for a backyard and a white picket fence, another motivation for some homeowners was white flight from cities—a trend that actually began in the earliest decades of the 20th century, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh. Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 June 2026 Germans, beer, white flight, uprising, rebirth. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 Some blame white flight and some blame the fact that people could move to bigger houses than Park Forest offered as a reason for the end of that era. Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for white flight

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white flight was in 1953

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Cite this Entry

“White flight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20flight. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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