: of, associated with, or characteristic of the privileged moneyed upper class : upper-crust
a white-shoe law firm

Examples of white-shoe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Universities like Harvard and Columbia, white-shoe D.C. law firms, Hollywood corporations like Paramount, and even Trump-supporting tech bros have all faced unprecedented political pressure. Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025 In fact, Nixon left California and moved to the East Coast, taking a job at a white-shoe law firm and using New York City as his political base of operations. Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2025 Colleagues said his successes propelled his L.A. firm to become a white-shoe powerhouse, with offices around the globe. Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025 Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden Arps, and other white-shoe firms quickly agreed to provide hundreds of millions in pro-bono work for Trump in exchange for relief from his attacks. Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Apr. 2025 While Americans may have little sympathy for the soft hands and power suits of America’s corporate white-shoe law firms, legal experts warn that the stakes are that high. Henry Gass, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2025 But the fund’s failings struck at the heart of New York’s intentions, said Eric Olson, a corporate and finance lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb, a white-shoe firm helping some licensees to develop their businesses pro bono. Ashley Southall, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025 Her first job out of Yale Law School was as a prosecutor with the Manhattan district attorney’s office — a different path from many of her classmates who sought high-paying jobs with white-shoe law firms. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white-shoe was in 1957

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Cite this Entry

“White-shoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-shoe. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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