Whiteboys: Meaning and Definition of

White•boys

Pronunciation: (hwīt'boiz", wīt'-), [key]
— n. (used with a sing. v.)
  1. a secret agrarian peasant organization, active in Ireland during the early 1760s, whose members wore white shirts for recognition on their night raids to destroy crops, barns, and other property in redressing grievances against landlords and protesting the paying of tithes.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.