knight in shining armor

Idioms

A rescuer or defender, as in What this political party needs is a knight in shining armor to change its tarnished image. This metaphoric expression alludes to a medieval knight. [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Kiffin is, and always will be, a total blight on USC football, so why make him out to be this knight in shining armor?

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2023

This blind idealism of "I'm the knight in shining armor, so I can get away with things."

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2022

Her knight in shining armor with a wrench was plumber Troy Watts, one of the most popular faces in the pipe-burst, water-drenched, ceiling-collapsed metropolis of Houston.

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2021

“I think a lot of times people want that Hallmark story where a knight in shining armor comes out and we’re going to save the day,” she said.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2019

And with that, my eight-year-old knight in shining armor rode off.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023