Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scapegoats
Black folks have been used as scapegoats for the rising government budgets, and anti-Black stereotypes fueled voters to significantly reduce access to affordable healthcare and educational assistance.
—
Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
Americans are burned-out, frustrated, and hunting for scapegoats.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Fourth, anger and the search for scapegoats.
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
In such a situation, scapegoats are needed, and the alien is the ideal one.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
And while the White House cycled through various scapegoats, prices rose a total of 20 percent, costing families more than $10,000.
—Jessica Riedl, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2026
Nations without trust in domestic institutions often turn outward in search of scapegoats.
—Klaus Schwab, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
This time, Nixon was one of several scapegoats for a dismal 22-16 Packers loss.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
There’s also Hank (Stephen Rider) and Veronica Grogan (Amanda Christine), a single Black father and his daughter, who work at the town’s movie theater and become scapegoats in the disappearance of some of the town’s kids.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
Americans are burned-out, frustrated, and hunting for scapegoats.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Fourth, anger and the search for scapegoats.
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
In such a situation, scapegoats are needed, and the alien is the ideal one.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
And while the White House cycled through various scapegoats, prices rose a total of 20 percent, costing families more than $10,000.
—Jessica Riedl, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2026
Nations without trust in domestic institutions often turn outward in search of scapegoats.
—Klaus Schwab, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
This time, Nixon was one of several scapegoats for a dismal 22-16 Packers loss.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
There’s also Hank (Stephen Rider) and Veronica Grogan (Amanda Christine), a single Black father and his daughter, who work at the town’s movie theater and become scapegoats in the disappearance of some of the town’s kids.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scapegoats
Noun
-
Some of the victims had been wearing backpacks equipped with airbags that can help keep people on the surface of an avalanche, but had not pulled the cords to deploy the bags, the report said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Peter Barnum, one of the people on shore who raced to the rescue, described the exhaustion of one of the victims, the father.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Do not make excuses or lie about your health.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Of nailing one’s excuses to their own crosses and leaving them there.—
Colin Fleming,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There were even newborn goats for everyone to meet.—
Tracy Trobridge,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The film is set in a mountain village where an elderly woman named Hettie (Hettie Farmer) lives alone on a small farm, tending her flock of goats with increasing difficulty.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scapegoats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scapegoats. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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