as in sucker
one who is easily deceived or cheated
an Internet newbie who's the perfect patsy for a cyber scam
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patsy
Appalachian State, which has given fits to many power conference opponents since elevating to the FBS in 2014 – and even before then as Michigan fans will recall – is not some patsy that will take its $1.25 million and quietly go home to Boone, N.C.
—
Tom Layberger, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
Getting rid of Notre Dame from football schedule to play a patsy?
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2024
The Denver corporate lawyer’s nearly two years at the EPA were marked by high-level resignations, a shoot-from-the-hip style and accusations the nation’s top environmental official was a willing patsy for polluters.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 28 June 2024
Ernest, played by an actor with over three decades of sympathy behind him, ultimately reads like a patsy rather than an originator of cruelty.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for patsy 
Tom Layberger, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
Getting rid of Notre Dame from football schedule to play a patsy?
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2024
The Denver corporate lawyer’s nearly two years at the EPA were marked by high-level resignations, a shoot-from-the-hip style and accusations the nation’s top environmental official was a willing patsy for polluters.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 28 June 2024
Ernest, played by an actor with over three decades of sympathy behind him, ultimately reads like a patsy rather than an originator of cruelty.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for patsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patsy
Noun
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Where needing help is for losers and providing it is for suckers.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2025
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The president has long maintained that this order disadvantages the United States by saddling it with the burden of policing the globe and enabling its allies to play it for a sucker.—
Ivo H. Daalder,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Neither the driver nor the victims have been publicly identified by authorities.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2025
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Olivia Godfrey, the couple's daughter, provided a victim impact statement and said her father's drug use impacted his mental health, according to ABC.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Access to even basic diagnostic tools could avoid over a million deaths annually.—
William Mullane,
USA TODAY,
1 Feb. 2025
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Eschewing rulers and other traditional drafting tools, Fassler sketches freehand and makes floor plans subjectively scaled to the size and shape of her own body.—
Mara Hoberman,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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My advice: make everyone in government a hero rather than a chump, then challenge them to change.—
Robert B. Tucker,
Forbes,
19 Dec. 2024
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The decision by owner Terry Pegula, general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott to make the move illustrates how motivated the club was to part with Diggs, a pivotal character in transforming NFL chumps into perennial Super Bowl contenders.—
Tim Graham,
The Athletic,
3 Apr. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near patsy
Cite this Entry
“Patsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patsy. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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