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

If you’re winning, you don’t typically threaten to destroy a civilization or look for scapegoats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 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

They organize themselves in opposition to a class of front-runners—those benefiting the most from the economy—with ire often left over for scapegoats, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025

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

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi