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

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

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

Shultz claims Holmes spotted Balwani’s abusive tendencies and clocked him as the perfect fall guy if things went south.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of fall guy

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

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

Definition of scapegoat

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“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of whipping boy

noun

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