noun
scapegoat
SKAYP-goht
noun
1
A person blamed for a problem or failure that was not really their fault, often to protect others.
"The junior analyst became the scapegoat when the deal fell through."
"They needed a scapegoat, so they fired the newest employee."
verb
1
To unfairly blame someone for a failure.
"Management scapegoated the intern instead of admitting their own mistake."
How to Use Scapegoat
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who takes the blame so everyone else is off the hook — whether or not it's fair.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "escape goat," a common mishearing of the original phrase.
Common pairings
make someone a scapegoat
scapegoat for the crisis
Word Forms
scapegoated past tense, scapegoats plural, scapegoats singular
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The junior analyst became the _____ when the deal fell through.
Etymology
Coined by the 16th-century Bible translator William Tyndale from "scape" (escape) + "goat," describing an ancient ritual in which a goat symbolically carried away a community's sins into the wilderness.