goat 1 of 2

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

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
Despite efforts to save them, eight goats in the barn died in the fire, the release said. Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025 Artifacts, including tools, and rock art depicting hunters, antelopes, goats and more tell the story of the Archaic people, who inhabited these lands from 2500 B.C. to 200 B.C. Alastair Lee Bitsóí, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025 They were inhabited by a handful of people and a few goats; one village had a single resident. Akash Kapur, Travel + Leisure, 24 Feb. 2025 In some formulations of the river-crossing puzzle, a farmer with a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage must cross over by boat. Sigal Samuel, Vox, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for goat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goat
Noun
  • Paying ransoms does not guarantee a return to normal business operations, and 35% of victims who paid a ransom, according to the in-house analysis of data, either did not receive decryption keys or received corrupted keys.
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Authorities struggled to identify and process all of the victims.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • With his hefty contract still on the payroll, he’s also become a scapegoat for parent company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s recent decision to layoff 80 employees.
    Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Clearly Trump is using the protesters as a scapegoat for his wider agenda fighting and attacking higher education and the Ivy League education system.
    Jonathan Allen, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • At least juveniles have an excuse: The human brain isn’t fully developed until age 25.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Canada and China have both questioned the Trump administration’s focus on fentanyl, calling it an excuse to issue his tariffs.
    William Gavin, Quartz, 5 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Goat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goat. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on 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!