Thesaurus results for WHIPPING BOY

whipping boy

noun

Definition of whipping boy

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

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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 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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for whipping boy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy

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

Noun

In Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, farmer Mindy Dean, 50, and her family will be milking their goats Saturday and maybe taking in some local fireworks.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Alpha-gal syndrome is caused by ticks, usually the lone star tick, that have previously fed on mammals like cows, deer, goats and pigs.

— Erika Edwards, NBC news, 2 July 2026

Definition of goat

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

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

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Synonyms of whipping boy

noun

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