whipping boy

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

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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 As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021 Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy. Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021 The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023 Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
Noun
  • Jones added what doesn't make sense in all this is Gov. Gavin Newsom's Democratic Party continues to push to protect perpetrators instead of victims and using the Menendez brothers' case to get their bill across the finish line.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
  • Officers located the victim, identified as 50-year-old man from New Haven, in the roadway suffering from injuries, police said.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • Otherwise, what really changes, other than losing another fall guy?
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
  • Waltz has been seen as a potential fall guy, but even before Trump’s public vote of confidence, there were questions about whether anyone would be punished, particularly because it might be seen as a capitulation to Democrats and the news media.
    Brett Samuels, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • While there, the King saw the cattle, sheep and goats on display, and was asked to present the Livestock Inter-Breed Championship Trophies.
    Greta Bjornson, People.com, 3 June 2025
  • Bush agreed to bring 100 of her nearly 600 head of goats and dorper sheep (a.k.a. hair sheep that molt their coats) to Mount Washington as an experiment this spring.
    Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025
Noun
  • While the parade honors the Army, some Democrats have accused Trump of using the anniversary as an excuse to mark his birthday, comparing the event to the military parades of autocratic regimes such as Russia and North Korea.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
  • Summary Stop making excuses and embrace courage for business growth.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Noun
  • Frustrated with cotton traders and merchants who were smuggling goods to the Confederacy and profiting from the war, the general weaponized ancient stereotypes and antisemitic tropes about Jews and money to fabricate a scapegoat.
    Time, Time, 3 June 2025
  • Here’s how many state politicians deal with it: by seeking out scapegoats.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025

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“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.

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