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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
David K. Li, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall guy
Noun
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The remains of about 1,100 victims are unidentified, the OCME said.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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So, before Mia brings what looks to be her next victim to her pad, Dexter plants Foster’s watch among Lady Vengeance’s stash of victim trophies, which was recovered by detectives after Mia’s arrest.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The party is a perfect excuse for various people in his life to approach him with their own agendas.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
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As in the never-ending parade of ostensibly Christian exorcism movies, religious belief here seems like a superficial excuse for a stock array of supernatural hoodoo — no matter how many times Chalik’s Abuyya pauses the action to mouth some healing doctrine.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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On Tuesday Bayern Munich takes on Benfica and Boca Juniors faces whipping boys Auckland City.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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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
Noun
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Should her daughter be a sheep or a goat, in a society that punished her mother’s defiance?—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Aug. 2025
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The value was determined by the high fabric quality, as the British failed to successfully breed their own goats.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But student loans have become hyper-politicized, and a liberal education diploma holder has become the scapegoat.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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Dante has become a scapegoat for anything that goes amiss in the restaurant.—
Samantha Husted,
Charlotte Observer,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fall guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20guy. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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