Thesaurus results for WHIPPING BOY

whipping boy

noun

as in victim

a person or thing taking the blame for others used the government's economic policies as the whipping boy for every bad decision the company made

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of whipping boy As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021 Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy. —

Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021 The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order. —

Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023 Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle. —

Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023 See all Example Sentences for whipping boy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy

Noun

There was a young woman who dressed as a Boston Marathon bombing victim for Halloween.

— Kelsey McKinney, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025
In January, they were spotted together visiting the World Central Kitchen in Pasadena, Calif., to help distribute food and supplies to victims of the Eaton Fire.

— Janine Henni, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025