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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boys
  1. victims
  2. goats
  3. excuses
  4. scapegoats
Noun
  • American women, being birthed as special victims with special status, are not.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Two of the victims were grazed by bullets, and a 20-year-old man was shot in the abdomen, WSOC reports.
    — Mark Price November 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of victims
Noun
  • Among his trophies are an Alaskan moose and caribou, wild boars, bears, whitetail deer, Catalina goats and more mule deer bucks than some hunters see in a lifetime.
    — Rich LaRocco, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The family hopes to add chickens and goats when Wagner's work schedule allows more time at home.
    — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of goats
Noun
  • The players understand what’s at stake, and none are making any excuses in the locker room after yet another sluggish start for the unit.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
  • But veteran guards such as Norman Powell don’t want to couch their inefficiency on the boards in any excuses about a new scheme.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of excuses
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Trumpworld searched frantically for scapegoats to deflect blame that the electoral bloodbath was a rebuke of the president and his agenda.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Some veterans say recruiters deceived them and Haitian authorities tortured them; their families call them scapegoats.
    — Astrid Suárez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of scapegoats
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

whipping boy
whipping boys
whippings
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Cite this Entry

“Whipping boys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boys. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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