Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whipping boy
As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
Noun
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Once identified, the kit dynamically loads a counterfeit login page tailored to that provider, often with the victim’s email address already filled in.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The gallery was filled with the victim’s friends, colleagues and family.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Waltz has been seen as a potential fall guy, but even before Trump’s public vote of confidence, there were questions about whether anyone would be punished, particularly because it might be seen as a capitulation to Democrats and the news media.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
25 Mar. 2025
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National security adviser Michael Waltz emerges as a potential fall guy in the Signal group chat fallout.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The pasture behind the barn is a blur of adolescent goats bleating, bolting, and knocking one another down.—
Scott Clark as told to Betsy Andrews,
Saveur,
3 Apr. 2025
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While the term mutton often refers to the meat of an adult sheep in many English-speaking places, in the cuisines of South Asia and the Caribbean, mutton typically refers to goat meat.—
Vicky Hallett,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Ignorance Ignorance is never an excuse for poor governance.—
Committee of 200,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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These past comments from Trump have often appeared to be in jest, or just an excuse to excite his loyal fan base during public speaking.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The New York Times analysis: For Trump, Musk is a scapegoat and a liability.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
3 Apr. 2025
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What began as a call for awareness of real life injustices has been transformed into a punchline and rhetorical scapegoat for everything from corporate policies to education.—
Jameelah Nasheed,
Essence,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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