Thesaurus results for SCAPEGOAT

scapegoat

noun

ˈskāp-ˌgōt

as in victim

a person or thing taking the blame for others companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales

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Examples of scapegoat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Elk and deer numbers go up and down like the stock market, but when numbers of game animals seem low, wolves are the favorite scapegoat. —

Ben Long, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024 With immigration topping the list of Americans’ concerns, according to recent Gallup polls, an ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border, and political deadlock on immigration reform and funding, Harris emerged as the most visible scapegoat. —

Vera Bergengruen, TIME, 23 July 2024 Whichever candidate loses in November will have an easy scapegoat. —

Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2024 Although the governments and security agencies on the receiving end provide convenient scapegoats when U.S. security assistance fails, Washington’s own bureaucracyshares the blame. —

Paul J. Angelo, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scapegoat

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scapegoat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.