white-collar

adjective

white-col·​lar ˈ(h)wīt-ˈkä-lər How to pronounce white-collar (audio)
: of, relating to, or constituting the class of salaried employees whose duties do not call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing compare blue-collar

Examples of white-collar 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.
One of the reasons that young people have been steered away from the skilled trades is the perception that these careers are somehow a lesser option than white-collar work. Mark C. Perna, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Black Americans, from steelworkers to white-collar professionals, were routinely denied F.H.A. loans and often suffered under redlining policies that made homeownership prohibitively expensive for them. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 Among them: Andrew Boutros, now the co-chair of the government investigations and white-collar group at Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP; Jeffrey Cramer, senior litigation counsel at the Department of Justice; Paul Tzur, now a partner at Blank Rome LLP; and Mark Schneider, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025 His sentence of 25 years was about half of what prosecutors had asked for, but still put him at the high end for sentence length in prominent white-collar fraud cases. Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for white-collar

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white-collar was in 1911

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Cite this Entry

“White-collar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-collar. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

white-collar

adjective
ˈhwīt-ˈkäl-ər,
ˈwīt-
: of, relating to, or being a member of the class of workers (as clerks and salespersons) whose duties do not require the wearing of work clothes

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