as in victim
a person or thing taking the blame for others
the sandlot ball players wanted the littlest kid to be the fall guy for the broken window, figuring that he'd have the best chance of escaping punishment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fall guy
National security adviser Michael Waltz emerges as a potential fall guy in the Signal group chat fallout.
—
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
Waltz has been seen as a potential fall guy, but even before Trump’s public vote of confidence, there were questions about whether anyone would be punished, particularly because it might be seen as a capitulation to Democrats and the news media.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2025
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
And the cameo by the real fall guy left me elated.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
Waltz has been seen as a potential fall guy, but even before Trump’s public vote of confidence, there were questions about whether anyone would be punished, particularly because it might be seen as a capitulation to Democrats and the news media.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2025
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
And the cameo by the real fall guy left me elated.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fall guy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall guy
Noun
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The most successful so far comes from Tampa, where a circuit court judge in August reaffirmed a statewide injunction pausing DOAH hearings after a Hurricane Milton victim argued the company was violating his rights.—
Mario Ariza,
ProPublica,
15 Sep. 2025
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The motion is still pending, and families of the crash victims urged the court to reject it.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Not an excuse, but definitely a factor, from what I was told, in what turned into a sluggish showing on both sides of the ball.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
There isn’t an excuse anymore that an AI maker has nothing available to provide AI ethics guidance.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Gordie is invisible to his mother and a whipping boy to his father.—
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Yet Hojlund only has to look at Scott McTominay and how Conte revitalised his career in Naples after years of being a United whipping boy by some sections of the fan base.—
Emmet Gates,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Rizzo, who was a key cog in the 2016 billy-goat-curse-breaking Chicago Cubs World Series title, who caught the final out of Game 7 of that World Series, will retire as a member of the Cubs.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Gratzer also showed livestock throughout his FFA career, including goats, pigs, a steer and a lamb.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There's no doubt that Shurmur is now the scapegoat at CU following an atrocious outing for his unit.—
Andrew Hughes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
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In a statement on Twitter, Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, alleged that she had only been convicted because the DOJ needed a scapegoat after Epstein died in jail before his case went to trial.—
Michael Ruiz , Julia Bonavita , David Spunt,
FOXNews.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fall guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20guy. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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