Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whipping boy
As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
When Trump loses, Fox will be a whipping boy.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 6 Nov. 2020
Once more, Turkey seems to have become a whipping boy for all manner of interests, some of which have little to do with the realities of Turkey itself.
—Hugh Pope, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2010
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
When Trump loses, Fox will be a whipping boy.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 6 Nov. 2020
Once more, Turkey seems to have become a whipping boy for all manner of interests, some of which have little to do with the realities of Turkey itself.
—Hugh Pope, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2010
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
Noun
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Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management said in a statement that 77 victims were taken to hospitals for treatment.—
Britt Clennett,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
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To Dan Gilleon, who represented many of Fischer’s victims in civil court, those cases are evidence of how much higher the true public costs of litigation against the county are.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Bellows fall guy here is Darrin’s boss, Larry Tate, who suspects something but can never prove it.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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Despite his discomfort, the former star yen derivatives trader for UBS and Citigroup has become globally recognized, some might say, as a fall guy for the Libor scandal, which involved myriad actors, including bankers, banks, and even world governments.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
29 July 2025
Noun
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The only movement is that of goats who nibble the long grass that grows around the Cold War aircraft wrecks that litter this forlorn spot on Grenada’s east coast.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
19 Sep. 2025
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To the untrained eye, researchers said the skull resembles the bones of a goat or horse, leading to the team naming the genus after animal sacrifices.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Mental health challenges may provide an explanation, but there is no excuse, no justification.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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There are people that want to play politics [who] will use that as an excuse to play politics.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Convenient scapegoat The council is widely considered unreformable because neither America nor Russia and China would ever contemplate giving up the veto privilege that gums up what could be an international peacekeeping organ.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
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Intergenerational trauma has been a popular scapegoat for narratives on TV and in horror films over the past decade.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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