whipping boy

noun

Definition of whipping boynext
as in victim
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whipping boy There will always be whipping boys at the World Cup, a team who arrive underprepared or in chaos of some description. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025 Gordie is invisible to his mother and a whipping boy to his father. — Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025 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 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
  1. victim
  2. fall guy
  3. goat
  4. excuse
  5. scapegoat
Noun
  • During the investigation, police were alerted to two shooting victims who had walked into area hospitals, including Chance.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Mines Minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou expressed condolences to victims’ families and warned miners about the dangers of unsafe mining practices, according to a statement posted by the ministry.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • So Republicans are desperate for something, anything, anyone — a fall guy, a scapegoat — to rant against, whip up the Republican base against, and raise money for their fall campaigns.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Gámez asserted that he’s being set up as a fall guy for political reasons.
    — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
Definition of fall guy
Noun
  • These were people who would insist that their American passenger ride in the cab of a trade truck rather than stand in the open back with 20 passengers banging into each other and a couple of goats for hours.
    — Ethan Gologor, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Synopsis In a remote Somali pastoral village, 12-year-old boys, Waasuge and Warmooge, spend their days herding goats and playing games.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of goat
Noun
  • That is more true inside a company than at national scale, because a company has fewer excuses.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The ostensibly patriotic event repeated every year, serving as a kind of decoy, an excuse for tribal members to gather and dance.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of excuse
Noun
  • So Republicans are desperate for something, anything, anyone — a fall guy, a scapegoat — to rant against, whip up the Republican base against, and raise money for their fall campaigns.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Ultimately, some experts say that until Europe addresses issues like unemployment and stretched public services, migration will continue to be used as a scapegoat for the continent’s socioeconomic woes.
    — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of scapegoat

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Cite this Entry

“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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