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
  • The brothers previously faced rape and human trafficking charges in Britain in connection to three alleged victims, CPS said.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • That year, Juventus were beaten by PSV in the playoff round, while Inter were the victims of an upset at that stage last year against Bodo/Glimt.
    Leon Imber, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Carmel Valley Ranch harvests its own honey, and with goats and a creamery on site, all of the cheese is made there as well.
    Sari Hitchins, Parents, 5 Sep. 2026
  • She’s loved by her family of humans (the Osteens) and other farm animals (including Elsie the cow; goats Honey, Dolly, Roger, Polly and Dodger; and Tom, the king of the turkeys who stalks around his enclosure like a pharaoh).
    Emily L. Mahoney, Miami Herald, 4 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
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 12 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster