Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » scapegoat

scapegoat

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

The definition of a scapegoat is someone who is assigned the blame or made to take the fall for something.

(noun)

When three employees plan a prank together and then blame it on one person, getting him fired, the person who was blamed is an example of a scapegoat.

See scapegoat in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a goat over the head of which the high priest of the ancient Jews confessed the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement, after which it was allowed to escape: Lev. 16:7-26
a person, group, or thing upon whom the blame for the mistakes or crimes of others is thrust

Origin: coined by William Tyndale (1530) < scape + goat, prob. from LL(Vulg.) caper emissarius, lit., emissary goat, transl. of Gr(Ec) tragos aperchomenos, departing goat, used as transl. of Heb sair laazazel < sair, he-goat + l, to + azazel, prob. name of a desert demon, but ? with folk-etym. meaning “goat that leaves,” as if < ez (female) goat + azal, has left

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to make a scapegoat of

Related Forms:

scapegoating noun

See scapegoat in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

One that is made to bear the blame of others.
Bible A live goat over whose head Aaron confessed all the sins of the children of Israel on the Day of Atonement. The goat, symbolically bearing their sins, was then sent into the wilderness.

transitive verb scape·goat·ed, scape·goat·ing, scape·goats

To make a scapegoat of.

Origin:

Origin: scape²

Origin: + goat (translation of Hebrew ‘ēz ’ōzēl, goat that escapes, misreading of ‘ăzā’zēl, Azazel)

Learn more about scapegoat

scapegoat synonyms

scapegoat Culture

scapegoat in a sentence

scapegoat quotes

link/cite print suggestion box