Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whipping boy
Yet Hojlund only has to look at Scott McTominay and how Conte revitalised his career in Naples after years of being a United whipping boy by some sections of the fan base.
—
Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
When Trump loses, Fox will be a whipping boy.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 6 Nov. 2020
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
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
When Trump loses, Fox will be a whipping boy.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 6 Nov. 2020
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
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
Noun
-
Nataliia had gone to the bus station, where soldiers were spraying foam to contain the nuclear fallout, and to the hospital, where men in white coats were unloading victims on stretchers from the backs of ambulances.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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At the time, Esperanza-Pacheco was working as a pastor at God’s Lighthouse of Truth in Richmond, where the victim and her family were members and had developed a friendship with him.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In real life, Miller takes the ribbing well, happy to be his friend’s fall guy for the purposes of narrative structure.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
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The Jewish state, as usual, makes a handy fall guy.—
Max Boot,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Make an all-goat spread, exploring different styles and textures, with garnishes that evoke the pasture, says Jones.—
Anna Lee Iijima,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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As part of the Great Exchange, which spanned from 1492 to 1640, Europeans brought over cows, sheep, and goats.—
Karla Walsh,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Available at any drugstore or grocery store, there's no excuse not to replace whatever sad flat sponge is currently sitting next to your sink.—
Jamie Thilman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Apr. 2026
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Bring your community together Earth Day is also a great excuse to connect with neighbors.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But the good times ended when Nirvana’s label reps decided the album sounded too raw for mainstream consumption and allegedly positioned Albini as a scapegoat for a potentially bad-sounding record.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
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Hungarians lost trust in Orban and want a different approach on EU relations rather than the tired attacks on the populists’ favorite scapegoat.—
Lionel Laurent,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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