Examples 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
As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for whipping boy 
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for whipping boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
Noun
-
While some federal emergency relief funds will come to victims quickly, additional money to rebuild infrastructure, homes and businesses is likely to flow much more slowly.—
David Lightman,
Sacramento Bee,
15 Jan. 2025
-
Sally Smith, a spokesperson for the police department, said Wednesday morning that she's heard the victim is in stable condition at the moment.—
Remington Miller,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The Jacksonville Jaguars sacked Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson on Monday in the NFL’s dark annual ritual of finding fall guys after the regular season came to an end Sunday night.—
David K. Li,
NBC News,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Watching England as a non-white person can come with the fear that with many of the national team’s historic defeats comes a fall guy.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
8 July 2024
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Most operators are not using it as an excuse to make more money.—
Doug Gollan,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
-
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
-
The scapegoat was the Chief Financial Officer, who resigned a month after the disclosure.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
-
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 whipping boy
Cite this Entry
“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share