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

Example Sentences

The Egyptian did not disguise his belief he had been made a scapegoat, provoking divisive debate when Slot and Liverpool needed unity and calm – but was his claim justified?

From BBC

Professor emeritus Brian Levin, founding director at the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, said “socially scapegoated groups” bear the brunt of violent hate crimes.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps because Mr. Kennedy and vaccine opponents have made vaccines an autism scapegoat.

From The Wall Street Journal

As lawsuits pile up and calls for regulation grow, some caution that scapegoating AI for broader mental health concerns ignores the myriad factors that play a role in mental well-being.

From Los Angeles Times

"Using nature as a scapegoat means that the government will be less effective at tackling some of the genuine challenges facing the planning system," the report said.

From BBC

Related Words

• fall guy