whipping boy

noun

Synonyms of whipping boynext
1
: a boy formerly educated with a prince and punished in his stead
2
: scapegoat sense 2

Synonyms of whipping boy

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Examples of whipping boy in a Sentence

used the government's economic policies as the whipping boy for every bad decision the company made
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Gordie is invisible to his mother and a whipping boy to his father. — Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025 The middle class or big corporations don’t want to become the mayor’s whipping boy. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026 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 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

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of whipping boy was in 1647

Rhymes for whipping boy

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Browse Nearby Words

whipping
whipping boy
whipping cream
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Cite this Entry

“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whipping%20boy. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

whipping boy

noun
whip·​ping boy
: scapegoat
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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