Thesaurus results for FALL GUY

fall guy

noun

Definition of fall guy

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

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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 In real life, Miller takes the ribbing well, happy to be his friend’s fall guy for the purposes of narrative structure. — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026 At Oregon State, Blaylock served as the university’s primary point of contact for the Blueprint partnership and, ultimately, became its fall guy, resigning from his post in late October. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025 In San Diego, he was doomed by an ownership change, becoming a convenient fall guy for delusional former Miami Dolphins executive Mike Dee. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for fall guy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall guy

Noun

Brown’s wife was Bruneau’s best friend at the time of the victim’s death, and both women worked as flight attendants for Braniff Airlines, a Grapevine police detective wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit filed in June.

— Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
Numerous victims have said that their names and other sensitive information were not properly redacted in the files and criticized Blanche and the department for failing to investigate Epstein’s potential co-conspirators.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of victim

Noun

All the exquisite details—the man’s glowing salmon-pink tunic, the cherrylike tip of his headdress, the fluffy tassels—are an excuse for pure visual stimulation.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
With a roster full of players from major European teams and 13 who were World Cup veterans, a lack of quality and experience no longer were valid excuses.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Definition of excuse

Noun

The former Maple Leaf was a whipping boy in Toronto whenever the Leafs couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs, but his first postseason in Vegas has been downright magical.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
The middle class or big corporations don’t want to become the mayor’s whipping boy.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026

Definition of whipping boy

Noun

Officials said a mix of exotic animals, livestock and domestic pets were living on the property, including dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, geese, donkeys, goats and pigs.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Guns, liquor, darkness and a 300-pound goat-man supposedly in pain.

— Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026

Definition of goat

Noun

Prominent intellectuals, famously including novelist Emile Zola, argued that Dreyfus had been made a scapegoat by the French military.

— Masha Macpherson, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Just like the Mets, the case could be made that Boston’s president of baseball operations, Craig Breslow, deserved the blame, but the skipper became the scapegoat instead.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026