as in sucker
one who is easily deceived or cheated
an Internet newbie who's the perfect patsy for a cyber scam
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patsy
The same prime minister who exaggerates his power is also fine with being portrayed as the patsy of more influential actors.
—
Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
Gwen champions Chelsea for advocating for her needs, but Gwen’s obviously the patsy here, running to turn up the thermostat the second Chelsea asks.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Slightly, meanwhile, targets Joe as his patsy to smuggle a Xenomorph embryo out of Prodigy, still resentful that Wendy’s family is here safely while his mother is far away and being threatened by Morrow.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
He was often portrayed as a DOGE patsy, perhaps even a fool.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patsy
Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
Gwen champions Chelsea for advocating for her needs, but Gwen’s obviously the patsy here, running to turn up the thermostat the second Chelsea asks.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Slightly, meanwhile, targets Joe as his patsy to smuggle a Xenomorph embryo out of Prodigy, still resentful that Wendy’s family is here safely while his mother is far away and being threatened by Morrow.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
He was often portrayed as a DOGE patsy, perhaps even a fool.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patsy
Noun
-
One- or 2-foot-long suckers will produce enough bait chunks for an entire day of fishing.—
Chad Mason,
Outdoor Life,
3 June 2026
-
This revealed that the creature had short arms, few arm suckers, and no ink sac, as well as having very smooth skin and a large rachidian tooth.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Midland Memorial Hospital received nine of the victims connected to the active shooter incident.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
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The pope also met abuse survivors privately and urged Spain’s bishops to listen to victims and make reparations.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
The awards and their accompanying speeches are the best promotional tools potential winners have in their arsenal, especially in an era when Broadway economics have gotten crazier by the year.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
-
The tool, which uses artificial intelligence, could be deployed at airports to bolster wildlife enforcement efforts, the researchers say.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Maybe the Trumps are right and my family boasts a lot of chumps, sending six men off to World War II alone.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Miller has always taken the American people for brainless, heartless chumps lost in a swamp of nostalgia who’ll believe whatever Trumpworld tells them to.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patsy. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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