whipping boy

noun

Definition of whipping boynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 There will always be whipping boys at the World Cup, a team who arrive underprepared or in chaos of some description. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025 Gordie is invisible to his mother and a whipping boy to his father. — Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025 Yet Hojlund only has to look at Scott McTominay and how Conte revitalised his career in Naples after years of being a United whipping boy by some sections of the fan base. — Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 Once more, Turkey seems to have become a whipping boy for all manner of interests, some of which have little to do with the realities of Turkey itself. — Hugh Pope, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2010 See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
  1. victim
  2. fall guy
  3. goat
  4. excuse
  5. scapegoat
Noun
  • The victim reported that four teenagers stole their necklace and fled the scene, according to police.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The drama turns on a young woman, victim of spike drinking at a lavish New Year’s Eve party in a remote manor.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • So Republicans are desperate for something, anything, anyone — a fall guy, a scapegoat — to rant against, whip up the Republican base against, and raise money for their fall campaigns.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Gámez asserted that he’s being set up as a fall guy for political reasons.
    — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
Definition of fall guy
Noun
  • Should cabin fever somehow strike, the hotel can arrange adventures further afield, from whale-watching and boat trips along the Costa Del Sol coast to private hikes through the Andalusian mountains and even cheesemaking at a local goat farm.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • North Carolinians recently faced a scare when baby goats at a roaming petting zoo tested positive for rabies.
    — Eva Flowe October 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of goat
Noun
  • But that cannot be used as an excuse because the Dolphins scored just 13 points in each of the games that Achane finished.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Livia’s unease informs her skepticism of politics; in linking the two, Kingsolver conflates class and culture, using the former as an excuse for what really just seems to be Livia’s constitutional conservatism.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of excuse
Noun
  • Indiana fans have become an easy scapegoat, and the reaction on Bluesky showed how little information some people needed to blame them.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • These anti-Black attitudes allow politicians to scapegoat Haitians for problems within Dominican society.
    — Kendall Medford, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of scapegoat

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Cite this Entry

“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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