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
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
Harry and Kev are anxiously awaiting word from Richie, who was last seen torturing the patsy that was set up to take the fall for Tommy's murder.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Fraudsters create phishing sites to con their patsies into giving away valuable login credentials.
—PCMAG, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patsy
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
Harry and Kev are anxiously awaiting word from Richie, who was last seen torturing the patsy that was set up to take the fall for Tommy's murder.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Fraudsters create phishing sites to con their patsies into giving away valuable login credentials.
—PCMAG, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patsy
Noun
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Remove any shoots and suckers that appear on the trunk or near the roots, and get rid of crossing or dead branches.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
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Fresno was the right sparring partner at the wrong time, a sucker that rolled into Canvas three weeks too late.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The victims' identities were not released.—
NPR,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
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Monday’s sentencing marks the end of a years-long legal battle between Laffitte and his victims, after Laffitte was reportedly the first to face federal charges as investigators looked to take down the Murdaugh empire.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The innovation could pave the way for medical tools that move through the body’s arteries or inspection devices that crawl into complex machinery.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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Toys, even ones marketed as tools for the imagination, are never value neutral.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While a single-digit decline in real terms, a $4 billion loss is neither chump nor Trump change for any shareholders.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
24 Sep. 2025
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In the space of less than two weeks, the Boston Red Sox have gone from chumps to, if not champs, at least contenders.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patsy. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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