fall guy

noun

: scapegoat
a fall guy for his boss's errors

Examples of fall guy in a Sentence

His lawyers will argue that he was set up as a fall guy for crimes he had no part in. the sandlot ball players wanted the littlest kid to be the fall guy for the broken window, figuring that he'd have the best chance of escaping punishment
Recent Examples on the Web The irony was that Mayorkas, who had witnessed the surge in unaccompanied minors in 2014, as Deputy Secretary, was perhaps the least convenient fall guy. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 This loss’s fall guy was defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who called an all-out blitz just before halftime as Kirk Cousins responded with a 60-yard touchdown pass for a 16-7 lead. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024 Not officially, maybe, but canned for using players on the roster given him — by Preller, who can play many roles except fall guy. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2023 And if the allegations against Fried prove true, then Singh may have been an unwitting fall guy in a disastrous family affair. Byleo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 20 Sep. 2023 Those desperate to pin the wide-ranging failures of 2023 on single fall guy is understandable, yet entire time zones off the mark. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023 The snake was a fall guy. Rae Armantrout, The New Republic, 9 Feb. 2023 In the Times story, the role of fall guy is assumed largely by Hearthside Food Solutions. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 28 Feb. 2023 And Jim being the husband … and that's being the typical fall guy, the husband must have done it. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fall guy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fall guy was in 1895

Dictionary Entries Near fall guy

Cite this Entry

“Fall guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%20guy. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fall guy

noun
: a person on whom something is blamed : scapegoat

More from Merriam-Webster on fall guy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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