scapegoat

American  

[skayp-goht] / ˈskeɪpˌgoʊt /

noun

• scapegoats
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• scapegoats
  plural

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

See Examples For:

scapegoat scapegoats

We aren’t victims, and we shouldn’t scapegoat other minorities or indulge in conspiracy theories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The Indian captain of an alleged Russian shadow fleet oil vessel seized by British commandos has been made a "scapegoat", his wife told AFP, as her husband awaits trial.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

He claimed he had been made a "scapegoat" after a "witch hunt" following the operation, carried out at the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he was working as a locum on 25 August 2020.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Is it actually dangerous for kids, or a scapegoat for a larger problem?

From Slate ● May 17, 2026

This didn’t satisfy many people, and a second scapegoat soon emerged: the firefighters.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

The most commonly cited scapegoats are the social insurance programs Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Sports loves scapegoats, but it can’t be pinned on one moment or individual.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Many Angolan journalists and activists strongly contest the idea that the protests weren't organic, and say Angolan authorities might be using the Russians as scapegoats.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

He and editor Andy Jurgensen keep the tenor strictly rat-a-tat, so his riskiest choice is that he trusts we’ll feel awful about these scapegoats even without close-ups of teary faces behind bars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025

I should have been cursing the system, but my mom and dad were much more tangible scapegoats.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

• fall guy