knight bachelor


Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.

knight bachelor

n. pl. knights bachelors or knight bachelors
An English knight of the lowest rank; a bachelor.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

knight bachelor

n, pl knights bachelors or knights bachelor
1. a person who has been knighted but who does not belong to any of the orders of knights
2. another name for a bachelor3
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.knight bachelor - a knight of the lowest order; could display only a pennon
knight - originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
It goes to my heart that you should ride forth now a mere knight bachelor, when there is no noble in the land who hath so good a claim to the square pennon, save only that you have not the money to uphold it."
Andy Reid The veteran Knowsley Labour MP, George Howarth, is made a Knight Bachelor for his parliamentary and political service.
The higher number awarded to women is because men can be awarded the honour of Knight Bachelor, which has no equivalent for women - 416 have been given out since 2008.
"George has received many high honours - Lord High Commissioner, Lord-Lieutenant, Knight bachelor - but these days I suspect he is happiest walking his dogs in the Bridge of Allan woods."
Other people who were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours List were as follows: Knight Bachelor - Professor Christopher John Ham, CBE (Solihull).
Sir Ken Dodd at Buckingham Palace, London, after he was made a Knight Bachelor of the British Empire by the Duke of Cambridge
Kingsley was created a Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry.
Some of his highly notable awards include an Order of Merit and a Knight bachelor from Queen Elizabeth II.
His knighthood - in the official title of Knight Bachelor - came in the Queen's 2011 Birthday Honours and was for his services to charity and entertainment.
In 2014 he was made Knight Bachelor of the British Empire by the Duke of Cambridge.