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
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Recent Examples of fall guy
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
Post-failure, Lumi is the subject of a government inquest, and Pierpoint has to send a representative who will act as the bank’s face and potential fall guy.
—Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
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
Post-failure, Lumi is the subject of a government inquest, and Pierpoint has to send a representative who will act as the bank’s face and potential fall guy.
—Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall guy
Noun
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The victim has suffered trauma to the head from a blunt object, but did not appear to be shot, police said.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2025
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Upon arrival at around 3:35 a.m., officers witnessed the suspect shoot one of the victims through the open front door.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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It’s been tough to shuffle the pitching rotation, and tough to shuttle guys back and forth from Triple-A to make up for injuries, but the Mets aren’t using injuries as an excuse.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
21 June 2025
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The incident offered Russia an excuse to send in military forces and grab control of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia.—
Charles Kupchan,
Foreign Affairs,
20 June 2025
Noun
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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
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The Republicans and their puppet master, Donald Trump, are ginning up the machine against immigration and making Mayorkas their whipping boy for chaos at the border.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2024
Noun
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French film star Jean Reno (Leon: The Professional) will play a new character, a tough French goat cop, in a cameo in the film’s English version.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2025
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Practice goat yoga, get a CBD massage, and more California certainly knows how to unwind, and San Luis Obispo offers many of its own unique pathways to calm.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Anti-trans bills have specifically been on the rise as the Trump administration has relied on that small population as a major scapegoat in his presidential campaign and, said SPLC, with Texas alone having filed 32 anti-trans bills for the 2025 legislative session.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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The Knicks let Mikal Bridges guard the point of attack during the regular season — an experiment that turned him into the scapegoat for several larger defensive shortcomings and repeatedly exposed his struggles containing opposing lead guards, the NBA’s most talent-rich position.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fall guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20guy. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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