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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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 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
Noun
  • Eliot Gross, the deputy coroner of Bucks County, confirmed to USA TODAY that the female victim was Haddon.
    Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2024
  • All three victims were brought to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock by a 20-year-old Little Rock man who was driving the vehicle the victims were in at the time of the shooting, the release says.
    Ainsley Platt, arkansasonline.com, 28 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • 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
  • Post-failure, Lumi is the subject of a government inquest, and Pierpoint has to send a representative who will act as the bank’s face and potential fall guy.
    Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • The box shows which goats were involved — such as Gertrude and Junebug — matched with flavors like Maple Cream and Chai.
    John Brandon, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
  • There's a smaller library of 15 sounds, ranging from the classic white noise and waves to the sound of goats bleating and a bustling café.
    Nena Farrell, WIRED, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Since the garage serves shopping malls, there's a convenient excuse for someone who needs a cover story.
    Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Or, use this trend as an excuse to try something non-traditional, like blue holiday decor or pink Christmas ornaments.
    Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Schools have become scapegoats for both good and bad reasons.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 28 Dec. 2024
  • Arredondo has claimed that he has simply been picked as the scapegoat among hundreds of officers from various agencies who were on the scene in Uvalde but waited more than 70 minutes before storming a classroom and killing 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

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