white flight
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.77 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
1
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The large-scale migration of white people from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions.
American usage; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The [Hyde Park-Kenwood Community] Conference was formed in an attempt to stop panic-inspiring rumors and "white flight," and so to work for an integrated, peaceful community."
- "This is illegitimate, since it is only the current bigotry in the society that causes property values to drop—as the result of white flight and the subsequent reduction in the size of the purchasing market."
- "Mr [Bob] Kroll grew up in a blue-collar, union family in the city centre but moved out, one more case of white flight."
- "Although Kennedy's off-the-cuff oration pacified that crowd, the nationwide riots following King's death accelerated a “white flight” to the suburbs that contributed to undo many of America's recently won civil rights advances."
Etymology
Attested since 1954. Note that state laws enforcing racial segregation in schools were ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education the same year.
Usage
- American usage
- Uncountable