as in victim
a person or thing taking the blame for others
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fall guy
And the cameo by the real fall guy left me elated.
—
Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
National security adviser Michael Waltz emerges as a potential fall guy in the Signal group chat fallout.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
The Jacksonville Jaguars sacked Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson on Monday in the NFL’s dark annual ritual of finding fall guys after the regular season came to an end Sunday night.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
Watching England as a non-white person can come with the fear that with many of the national team’s historic defeats comes a fall guy.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
National security adviser Michael Waltz emerges as a potential fall guy in the Signal group chat fallout.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
The Jacksonville Jaguars sacked Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson on Monday in the NFL’s dark annual ritual of finding fall guys after the regular season came to an end Sunday night.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
Watching England as a non-white person can come with the fear that with many of the national team’s historic defeats comes a fall guy.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall guy
Noun
-
And Singapore just passed an anti-scam law that allows law enforcement to freeze the bank accounts of scam victims.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
14 July 2025
-
Lexington Police would provide only limited updates regarding the shooting and would not confirm the names of the two male victims who were shot at the church.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
The Turkish leader has also used the 2016 coup attempt against him as an excuse to pull apart the rule of law and any vestiges of institutional governance in Turkey.—
Jesse Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
-
But that's absolutely no excuse, because intent doesn't excuse ignorance.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
On Tuesday Bayern Munich takes on Benfica and Boca Juniors faces whipping boys Auckland City.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Overgrazing by livestock such as sheep, camels and goats can also reduce vegetation quality, which can reduce the number of prey available for leopards.—
Indrabati Lahiri,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
-
There are roughly 113,000 cows and 7,500 goats spread across 480 farms, according to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, which pegs the industry’s annual economic impact at $5.4 billion.—
Holly Ramer,
Fortune,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
These men proposed sweeping changes to the law, and women, as had already been the case in the popular press, emerged as the scapegoat.—
Peter Zablocki,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 July 2025
-
Donald Trump promised mass deportation, campaigning against undocumented immigrants as a scapegoat for Americans’ economic woes, crime concerns, and more.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fall guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20guy. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share