Thesaurus results for SCAPEGOATS

scapegoats

noun

plural of scapegoat

as in victims

a person or thing taking the blame for others companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales

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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 scapegoats This tradition viewed progressive nationalism as using promises of reform and demagogic tirades against scapegoats abroad to distract from their own corruption and irresponsibility. — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026 Bad guys vanquished… or at the very least, viable scapegoats neutralized. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2026 Refugee groups said military barracks aren’t the right place to house asylum seekers, but cautioned that migrants should not be made scapegoats. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 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, 30 Mar. 2026 Americans are burned-out, frustrated, and hunting for scapegoats. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026 In such a situation, scapegoats are needed, and the alien is the ideal one. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 Fourth, anger and the search for scapegoats. — David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scapegoats

Noun

One boat was traveling from Ubangi, in the northwest, to the capital of Kinshasa, and the other from Kinshasa to Lukolela, close to where the collision happened, Mputu said, and added that search efforts continue to find more victims and survivors.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
His National Film Board of Canada film goes beyond numbers to humanize the Iranian-Canadian victims of Flight PS752 who have long slipped from news headlines, even as their families continue an uphill battle to hold Iran accountable.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of victims

Noun

The rules, which are never explained, are put there as flimsy excuses for aspects of the pilot that don’t hold together otherwise.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Only to see them, after winning elections, get strong-armed by the party, then offer lame excuses as to why.

— Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of excuses

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scapegoat

scapegoats

scapegrace

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“Scapegoats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scapegoats. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scapegoats

noun

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