Thesaurus results for FALL GUY

fall guy

noun

Definition of fall guy

as in victim

a person or thing taking the blame for others the sandlot ball players wanted the littlest kid to be the fall guy for the broken window, figuring that he'd have the best chance of escaping punishment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 fall guy But if there is going to be a fall guy for what transpired in the conference finals, Atkinson is a candidate. — Joe Vardon, New York Times, 26 May 2026 In real life, Miller takes the ribbing well, happy to be his friend’s fall guy for the purposes of narrative structure. — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026 At Oregon State, Blaylock served as the university’s primary point of contact for the Blueprint partnership and, ultimately, became its fall guy, resigning from his post in late October. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025 In San Diego, he was doomed by an ownership change, becoming a convenient fall guy for delusional former Miami Dolphins executive Mike Dee. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fall guy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall guy

Noun

The attack shocked the nation, and Jordan declared three days of mourning for the victims.

— Omar Akour, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
On Sunday, Jordan’s Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah attended a funeral held for the victims while Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited the injured in the hospital earlier.

— Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of victim

Noun

No, there's no excuse for the season going off the rails this much.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Rubio warns against delaying transition Speaking on the record during the question-and-answer portion of the call, Rubio insisted that Washington would not allow the institutional reforms to become an excuse for postponing elections indefinitely.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of excuse

Noun

Apparently, this happens all the time because Daisy is Martha’s makeup artist as well as traveling companion, sounding board, and whipping boy.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
The former Maple Leaf was a whipping boy in Toronto whenever the Leafs couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs, but his first postseason in Vegas has been downright magical.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026

Definition of whipping boy

Noun

But that gratefulness didn’t exactly gel with recent reports that Bajaria is being used as a scapegoat and was axed with little notice.

— Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026
Meta’s efforts to scapegoat staff seem to ignore that staff expressed discomfort in being directed to pirate work.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026