white knight

English

Alternative forms

Noun

white knight (plural white knights)

  1. (business) An individual or corporation that intends to acquire another company in order to avert a hostile takeover.
    • 2010 August 23, “Vale Denies It Is Potash's White Knight”, in NY Times DealBook‎:
      Forget about one possible white knight for Potash. Vale, the big Brazilian mining company, denied on Monday afternoon that it was in talks to acquire the giant Canadian fertilizer company.
  2. (fiction) A hero, savior, or righteous individual.
    Antonym: black knight
  3. (figurative, derogatory) Someone who unnecessarily defends someone else.
    1. (informal, derogatory, Internet) A man who defends a woman in debate etc. in an attempt to gain her favour.
      Synonyms: doormat, simp
  4. A mushroom of species Tricholoma album.

Verb

white knight (third-person singular simple present white knights, present participle white knighting, simple past and past participle white knighted)

  1. (figurative, derogatory) To unnecessarily defend someone, especially in an attempt to gain favour.

Translations

See also
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