goat 1 of 2

noun

ˈgōt How to pronounce goat (audio)
Definition of goatnext
as in victim
a person or thing taking the blame for others an unhappy childhood was the goat he used to rationalize every failure and shortcoming

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

go at

2 of 2

phrase

1
as in raid
to take sudden, violent action against He went at his opponent with such fervor, the fight was practically over before it began.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in approach
to start work on energetically She went at that project with such enthusiasm, you could tell it was a labor of love.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 goat
Noun
Two active domestic goat and cattle cases in Edwards County. — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 26 June 2026 The project, organized by Port KC, uses goats as an eco-friendly way to clear brush along the riverfront without relying on chemicals, sprays or heavy machinery. — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2026
Phrase
That said, this finding isn’t completely surprising, Bettinger admits, as LEO has a smaller spatial volume with more objects going at higher velocities than in MEO. — Sarah Wells, IEEE Spectrum, 1 July 2023 See All Example Sentences for goat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goat
  1. victim
  2. have at
  3. scapegoat
  4. excuse
Noun
  • The families of the victims said the pain is still as raw to this day.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • Most of the victims lived nearby, and funeral prayers were expected later Tuesday.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
Definition of victim
Phrase
  • The Spanish, who had at first just flitted along the coast in their galleons, had begun marching inland and overland from Mexico with crosses and soldiers and soldiers’ families.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • The explosive back was thought to have at least a fighting chance, considering both his talent and opportunity as the Elks’ clear-cut lead back.
    — Juan Carlos Blanco, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of have at
Noun
  • Just like the Mets, the case could be made that Boston’s president of baseball operations, Craig Breslow, deserved the blame, but the skipper became the scapegoat instead.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026
  • In a legal filing, Crowley said Mayor Karen Bass, who was out of the country when the fires began, made the longtime firefighter a scapegoat for the catastrophe.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Definition of scapegoat
Noun
  • The excuses that keep piling up The backyard isn’t my first condition.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2026
  • While a full overhaul of the entire system might not be practical, there is certainly no excuse for lawmakers to make things worse.
    — Adam Hoffer, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of excuse

Phrases Containing goat

Browse Nearby Words

goals
goat
go at
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Goat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goat. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on goat

Nglish: Translation of goat for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about goat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All