white knight
2
6.7
- noun
- /waɪt naɪt/
- Jargon
:
caballero blanco
- A British white knight then came in to rescue Consolidated and buy out Minorco's minority position.
- find a white knight
Examples
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More and more, I'm starting to hear the name Glenn Youngkin on the Republican side as a possible white knight to come in and save the party.
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As the company sells its assets piece by piece, the best hope for investors is that a white knight will step forward to save it.
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Also, don't imagine for a second that somehow Sony is a white knight in all of this.
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Foster is a white knight on a quest to free others of negative vibes.
Blog text (2) -
Some consider them white knights who are willing to make risky investments in companies on the verge of failure.
Blog text (2) -
Like the PlayStation isn't necessarily a white knight, but the Xbox is a lot darker.
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Investors are hoping a white knight will ride in to rescue the Fruit of the Loom brand from a potential takeover.
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My company came this close to snapping up Merced Financial, and then Miyashta swoops in like a white knight to save the day.
Synonyms
252
2.8
A person who protects someone or something from harm
A person or company that buys some shares to stop another company taking control
How Supportive
Surface Forms
Morphology
white + knight
The constituents 'white' (pure/innocent) and 'knight' (a rescuer/protector) combine metaphorically so a learner can reasonably infer a defender or savior role from the parts. However, the modern internet nuance — performative, self‑congratulatory defending to show moral superiority or gain attention — is pragmatic and culturally specific and is not fully predictable from the literal words alone.
Etymology
White knight may come from the image of a knight on a horse wearing white who rides in to save someone in danger. That's why it now means 'a person or company who rescues or defends someone in difficulty', for example saving a firm from an aggressive takeover.