Pac-Man defense

noun

A response to an attempted hostile takeover of a company, in which the target company, or a 'white knight' acting on its behalf, tries to turn the situation round by acquiring all or much of the other company.

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Meanings

nounPac-Man defense (plural Pac-Man defenses)

plural Pac-Man defenses · alternative Pac-Man defence

  1. businessA response to an attempted hostile takeover of a company, in which the target company, or a 'white knight' acting on its behalf, tries to turn the situation round by acquiring all or much of the other company.

Origin

From the arcade game Pac-Man (1980), in which the character being chased can sometimes turn round and eat its pursuers.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Pac-Man defense. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pac-Man%20defense

MLA

“Pac-Man defense.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pac-Man%20defense. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pac-Man defense,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pac-Man%20defense.

Source: Pac-Man defense on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.