Scapegoat (Noun)
Meaning
Someone who is punished for the errors of others.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The new employee was made the scapegoat for the company's financial losses, despite having only been on the job for a month.
- The manager blamed the intern for the project's failure, using her as a scapegoat to deflect attention from his own mistakes.
- The politician's aide was forced to resign as a scapegoat for the scandal, even though he had not been directly involved.
- The team's coach made the rookie player the scapegoat for their losing season, criticizing him publicly for every mistake.
- The company's CEO used the low-level employee as a scapegoat for the data breach, firing him to appease the public and investors.