scapegoat
noun
a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.
scapegoats
-
pluralof scapegoat.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s important for them to let people know, ‘Hey, we’re here to figure out what’s going on and we’re here to correct it, not find individual scapegoats.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 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
This attempted rebranding relied, as always, on scapegoats.
From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2026
The irony, which Mr. Crow misses, is that Marat, with his lists of enemies and scapegoats and his lust for punishment, was the ancestor of the modern totalitarians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
I should have been cursing the system, but my mom and dad were much more tangible scapegoats.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
