Thesaurus results for WHIPPING BOYS

whipping boys

noun

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boys

Noun

The police investigation was launched following complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records say left about 200 people dead.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Unlike the Tribune, none of the outlets Welch spoke with had interviewed the harassment victims, leaving Welch to present a largely one-sided account.

— Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of victims

Noun

In California, grazing companies were frequently hired by cities and other local governments to use goats to reduce vegetation that could fuel wildfires.

— Velvet Wu August 2, Sacbee.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Drone video released by the department shows the dog weaving behind the herd as dozens of goats move up the hillside and away from the helicopter's approach.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of goats

Noun

Kiffin understands that excuses aren’t going to fly, even if some are valid about recruiting during a time when coaches were traveling back and forth from Oxford to Baton Rouge.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
The Galliano incident had nothing to do with Israel or the kinds of excuses some people are using today for antisemitism.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of excuses

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

Definition of scapegoats

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whipping boy

whipping boys

whippings

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“Whipping boys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boys. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of whipping boys

noun

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