scapegoat

American  

[skeyp-goht] / ˈskeɪpˌgoʊt /

noun

1. a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.

2. Chiefly Biblical. a goat let loose in the wilderness on Yom Kippur after the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on its head. Leviticus 16:8,10,26.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a scapegoat of.

   Strike leaders tried to scapegoat foreign competitors.

scapegoat British  

/ ˈskeɪpˌɡəʊt /

noun

1. a person made to bear the blame for others

2. Old Testament a goat used in the ritual of Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16); it was symbolically laden with the sins of the Israelites and sent into the wilderness to be destroyed

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verb

1. (tr) to make a scapegoat of

scapegoat Cultural  

1. A person or group that is made to bear blame for others. According to the Old Testament, on the Day of Atonement, a priest would confess all the sins of the Israelites over the head of a goat and then drive it into the wilderness, symbolically bearing their sins away.

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Etymology

Origin of scapegoat

First recorded in 1520–30; scape ² + goat

Explanation

The Bible depicts a ritual in which a goat is sent out into the desert bearing the faults of the people of Israel. The word scapegoat first occurred in the earliest English translation of the Bible, and it has come to mean any individual punished for the misdeeds of others. When a politician gets caught lying, he or she might use an assistant as a scapegoat. Somehow the lie will wind up being the assistant's fault. Your mom might tell you to use her as a scapegoat if you need to. So if your friends want you to go to a wild party and you don't want to, you should tell them your mom won't let you. That way, they will be mad at her and not at you. A fall guy is similar to a scapegoat, but it is mostly used if your scheme has been found out and one of your group of schemers must take the consequences.

Example Sentences

Appeared in the May 15, 2026, print edition as 'California’s Latest Wildfire Scapegoat'.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

These all seem like worthy candidates, but I hope they are smart enough to understand the job for which they are applying — Chief Scapegoat.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2022

Curtis also supports the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, which would designate 208,000 acres as a conservation management area and add nearly 70,000 acres to the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wilderness.

From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2014

Scapegoat … Bill Gates is the subject of a song by John Vanderslice.

From The Guardian • Feb. 28, 2013

"Then open your mouth," commanded the Scapegoat, in tones of authority.

From Peggy by Barry, Etheldred B. (Etheldred Breeze)

Related Words

• fall guy