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
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Recent Examples of fall guy
In the end, the biggest loser on Sunday was neither United Russia nor Putin, but rather his fall guy, Medvedev.
—
Kathryn Stoner-Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2011
And when his former leading man, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), accidentally kills Colt’s replacement stunt man, Ryder and his unsavory producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) hatch a plan to make Colt the literal fall guy.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2024
In The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, the titular fall guy, which is an industry term for stunt man.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2024
The irony was that Mayorkas, who had witnessed the surge in unaccompanied minors in 2014, as Deputy Secretary, was perhaps the least convenient fall guy.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fall guy 
Kathryn Stoner-Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2011
And when his former leading man, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), accidentally kills Colt’s replacement stunt man, Ryder and his unsavory producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) hatch a plan to make Colt the literal fall guy.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2024
In The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, the titular fall guy, which is an industry term for stunt man.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2024
The irony was that Mayorkas, who had witnessed the surge in unaccompanied minors in 2014, as Deputy Secretary, was perhaps the least convenient fall guy.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fall guy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall guy
Noun
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For those looking to donate, The American Red Cross is working alongside its partners to provide shelter, food, emotional support and health services for victims of the LA Fires.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
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Searching for victims The death toll is likely to rise, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.—
Josh DuBose,
The Hill,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Most operators are not using it as an excuse to make more money.—
Doug Gollan,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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But the Heat didn’t want to use travel as an excuse for what happened against the Nuggets.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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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
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The Republicans and their puppet master, Donald Trump, are ginning up the machine against immigration and making Mayorkas their whipping boy for chaos at the border.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Kudos on firing the assistant coaches as scape goats for the humiliating mistake of letting Xavier Mckinney walk away into an All-Pro season and forcing them to scheme around an unreliable Banks.—
Dan Duggan,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
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Things only get stranger from there, involving everything from an office goat pen to a terrifyingly ominous dance party.—
Andrew Webster,
The Verge,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The scapegoat was the Chief Financial Officer, who resigned a month after the disclosure.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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The scapegoats will get kicked to the curb and the carousels will spin once again.—
Mike Jones,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near fall guy
Cite this Entry
“Fall guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20guy. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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