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

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boys
Noun
  • Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management said in a statement that 77 victims were taken to hospitals for treatment.
    Britt Clennett, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
  • He's spent years trying to bring attention to how a lack of services for mental health disorders, affordable housing and policies that prevent renter evictions all directly contribute to Arizona's growing number of heat victims.
    Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Make sure to stop at the Wool Tent for raw, washed and ready to spin fleece from sheep, alpacas, goats, llamas and even rabbits.
    Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Sep. 2025
  • One photo captured a moment between the couple kissing at a farm, with goats watching them.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Washbergs, Blackie and Berta, and Allen the ginger skinhead — right now, the who-, why-, and howdunits feel tacked on, excuses to watch Lee unravel, rather than the cause of his unraveling.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Make sure there’s no excuses here.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Orbán has long sought to consolidate his power through concocting scapegoats for Hungary’s ills.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The hypocrisy of a society continually looking for scapegoats to assign blame while refusing to examine its own dark heart provides a semblance of subtext.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whipping boys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boys. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!