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Pac-Man defense

American  
[pak-man] / ˈpækˌmæn /

noun

  1. a defensive tactic against a hostile takeover in which the targeted company makes its own bid to take over the hostile firm.

Etymology

Origin of Pac-Man defense

First recorded in 1980–85; after Pac-Man, a character in a video game that devours its attackers

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.

Martin Marietta's tactic was a prime example of the Pac-Man defense, whereby a threatened company responds to a takeover bid by trying to buy up its attacker's stock.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.