patsy

[ pat-see ]

See synonyms for patsy on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural pat·sies.Slang.

a person who is easily swindled, deceived, coerced, persuaded, etc.; sucker.
a person upon whom the blame for something falls; scapegoat; fall guy.

a person who is the object of a joke, ridicule, or the like.

Origin of patsy

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; origin uncertain

Words Nearby patsy

Other definitions for Patsy (2 of 2)

Patsy

[ pat-see ]

noun

a male given name, form of Patrick.
a female given name, form of Patricia.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use patsy in a sentence

patsy McGarry is the Religious Affairs Correspondent for The Irish Times.
Ireland’s ‘Mother and Baby Home’ Horror Goes Beyond Tuam’s Dead Infants | Patsy McGarry | June 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Matt Bevin is a Louisville businessman and Tea Party favorite who sees the five-term senator as a patsy and a squish.
The Republican Party Isn’t Conservative Enough | Jamelle Bouie | August 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
patsy went right to the phone to line up a wedding photographer.
Judy Clarke, the Defense Lawyer Appointed to Defend Dzhokhar Tsarnaev | Michael Daly | May 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Mom, you ought to write to Senator Helms about Mark,” patsy Clarke quotes Judy as saying.
Judy Clarke, the Defense Lawyer Appointed to Defend Dzhokhar Tsarnaev | Michael Daly | May 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
patsy Cline singing the devastating “I Fall to Pieces” before dying in a plane crash at the age of 30.
The Mindy McCready I Knew | Laurence Leamer | February 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

It made me smile to remember how mature patsy had been when I meekly ran her errands and gladly wore her yoke in the old days.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
I joined the group and through a window beheld patsy in animated conversation with what women could crowd inside.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
“But the boys only wanted patsy to see how the Injuns git ready for war,” defended Mrs. Davis.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
patsy had dismissed me, and there was scarcely room for me without my presence giving her annoyance.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
Perhaps patsy was the first white woman she had seen whose freshness suggested her own youth.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter

British Dictionary definitions for patsy

patsy

/ (ˈpætsɪ) /

nounplural -sies slang, mainly US and Canadian

a person who is easily cheated, victimized, etc
a scapegoat

Origin of patsy

C20: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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