Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows
or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps
Noun: scapegoat  'skeyp,gowt
  1. Someone who is punished for the errors of others
    "The junior employee became the scapegoat for the department's failures";
    - fall guy [N. Amer, informal], goat [N. Amer]
Verb: scapegoat  'skeyp,gowt
  1. Make a scapegoat of
    "The manager was scapegoated for the team's poor performance"

Derived forms: scapegoated, scapegoats, scapegoating

Type of: victim

Encyclopedia: Scapegoat