scapegoats

NOUN

person who takes blame for

Synonyms

STRONGEST

fall guy

STRONG

chump doormat dupe fool goat gull mark patsy pigeon pushover sacrifice sap schmuck stooge sucker victim weakling

WEAK

another's action boob easy mark sitting duck

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

scapegoats

The temptation to find corporate scapegoats for social ills is great.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

Many Angolan journalists and activists strongly contest the idea that the protests weren't organic, and say Angolan authorities might be using the Russians as scapegoats.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

This attempted rebranding relied, as always, on scapegoats.

From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2026

Kenyan human rights activist Hussein Khalid urged the government to take urgent measures to protect them, saying that Tanzanian authorities were using Kenyans as "scapegoats for the atrocities committed by police against Tanzanians".

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025

I should have been cursing the system, but my mom and dad were much more tangible scapegoats.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi