whipping boys

plural of whipping boy
as in victims
a person or thing taking the blame for others used the government's economic policies as the whipping boy for every bad decision the company made

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boys
Noun
  • The victims and the first responders were honored before the game.
    Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • In practice, though, victims of instant-payment fraud often recover little.
    Pawan Jain, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The results confirmed that ancient Egyptians frequently used cow glue, as well as collagens derived from sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, and antelope.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Animal foods included fish, sheep, goats, cattle, boars, birds, hare, and other wild game.
    Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Arteta and Arsenal had no need for excuses this time around, though, with Martin Odegaard scoring a late winner after a convincing team performance at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
    Art de Roché, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • With each passing year and each additional project, though, the room for excuses dwindles further.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Sending out the scapegoats in a van advertising unemployed coaches is next-level stuff.
    Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
  • 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, Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
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“Whipping boys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boys. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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