scapegoat

[skeyp-goht]

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to make a scapegoat of.

   Strike leaders tried to scapegoat foreign competitors.

scapegoat

/ 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

verb

1. (tr) to make a scapegoat of

scapegoat

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scapegoat¹

First recorded in 1520–30; scape ² + goat

Word History and Origins

Origin of scapegoat¹

C16: from _escape + _goat , coined by William Tyndale to translate Biblical Hebrew azāzēl (probably) goat for Azazel, mistakenly thought to mean ``goat that escapes''

Example Sentences

Organizers have put together the nationwide protest “Workers over Billionaires,” calling it a “refusal to let billionaires slash care, scapegoat immigrants, raid public dollars, and divide working people for profit.”

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, it continues to be funneled into fearmongering and scapegoating that does nothing for community safety.

From Salon

But Roach has insightfully made this about people, not societal scapegoats.

From Los Angeles Times

Campaign group Stand up to Racism Scotland accused Findlay of scapegoating refugees.

From BBC

Instead of making him the scapegoat for losing a game, why not point out the often awful bullpen performances.

From Los Angeles Times

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