white-shoe

American

[hwahyt-shoo, wahyt] / ˈʰwaɪtˈʃu, ˈwaɪt /

adjective

of or relating to members of the upper class who own or run large corporations.

white-shoe bankers; a conservative white-shoe image.

Etymology

Origin of white-shoe

First recorded in 1975–80; apparently from the white shoes popular as moderately formal wear among suburban men c1980

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.

Colleagues said his successes propelled his L.A. firm to become a white-shoe powerhouse, with offices around the globe.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2025

These involve some of the big white-shoe conservative law firms, Consovoy McCarthy and others in D.C.

From Salon • Aug. 16, 2024

It turns out that one of America’s best known white-shoe law firms, WilmerHale, was intricately involved.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2023

Macfarlane notes that HHMI’s lead lawyer is Chong Park, a partner at the white-shoe firm Ropes & Gray known for working on large, complex cases.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2023

“Phooey, I say, on all white-shoe college boys who edit their campus literary magazines. Give me an honest con man any day.”

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

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