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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Recent Examples of patsy
He was often portrayed as a DOGE patsy, perhaps even a fool.
—
Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
The problem is that any Fed governor who agrees with him risks looking like a patsy, according to UBS’s Paul Donovan.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 July 2025
News stories about Iran and Netanyahu playing him as a patsy didn’t help.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2025
Today’s Wordle Etymology The word patsy apparently comes from the Italian name Patsy, short for Pasquale, which was used in vaudeville productions and early 20th-century slang to refer to a gullible or easily deceived individual.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for patsy
Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
The problem is that any Fed governor who agrees with him risks looking like a patsy, according to UBS’s Paul Donovan.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 July 2025
News stories about Iran and Netanyahu playing him as a patsy didn’t help.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2025
Today’s Wordle Etymology The word patsy apparently comes from the Italian name Patsy, short for Pasquale, which was used in vaudeville productions and early 20th-century slang to refer to a gullible or easily deceived individual.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for patsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patsy
Noun
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Her character, the beloved nurse Dana, threatened to quit after she was sucker-punched by a patient during her smoke break.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
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Removing suckers that appear at the base of the tree and damaged, dead, or diseased wood is important.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The March 2 indictments allege that Brigham used Snapchat and text messages to talk to his victim, at one point receiving a photo of the girl’s genitalia.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
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In some cases, the department inadvertently released nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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According to a source familiar with the situation, the Pentagon used AI services from Anthropic, including its Claude tools, during the attack on Iran.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
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Researchers avoided contaminating the samples with other plastics by substituting standard tools with those made of aluminum, cotton and other non-plastic material, the release noted.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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If the Niners lose, the Rams can grab the No. 5 seed and a date with the NFC South chump.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patsy. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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