goats

noun

plural of goat
as in victims
a person or thing taking the blame for others an unhappy childhood was the goat he used to rationalize every failure and shortcoming

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of goats Rigorous legal protection combined with the successful eradication of invasive feral goats in 2012 ultimately paved the way for this historic recovery. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 This summer, however, North Carolina saw a large increase in exposures when baby goats at a roving petting zoo that had attended events all over the state tested positive, the Charlotte Observer previously reported. — Eva Flowe october 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026 Walking around the pumpkin patch and looking at baby goats is just the cutest. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026 On Monday, the Florida SPCA arrived at the property to care for other animals found there, including ponies and goats. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 Baker and her husband had become interested in raising goats during the pandemic. — CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 Domestic animals including cats, dogs, cattle, goats and sheep continue to show a decline in positive cases. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026 In a remote Somali pastoral village, two twelve-year-old boys, Waasuge and Warmooge, spend their days herding goats and playing. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026 Six goats—with names like Gilligan and MacLovin'—nibble on the leaves of bush honeysuckle and English ivy, clearing some of the invasive plant species that have choked out the native flora that once flourished on the uninhabited island. — Daliah Singer, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goats
  1. victims
  2. scapegoats
  3. excuses
  4. monkeys
Noun
  • The Baton Rouge Police Department identified the victims as 21-year-old Leah Fonte and 21-year-old Shane Hirstius, who were engaged.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has begun notifying victims impacted by a recent data breach of driver’s license and motor vehicle data, but not everyone whose information was stolen will receive an alert.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of victims
Noun
  • Some veterans say recruiters deceived them and Haitian authorities tortured them; their families call them scapegoats.
    — Astrid Suárez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This tradition viewed progressive nationalism as using promises of reform and demagogic tirades against scapegoats abroad to distract from their own corruption and irresponsibility.
    — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of scapegoats
Noun
  • The town council will give so many excuses as to why they were approved.
    — Stephen Korka, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The rules, which are never explained, are put there as flimsy excuses for aspects of the pilot that don’t hold together otherwise.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of excuses
Noun
  • Here, in the heart of an expansive park filled with birds and monkeys, is a refuge from the frenzy of this teeming metropolis.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Long-range inhibitory neurons marked by the activity of these genes have been known for some time, based on studies in monkeys, but researchers couldn’t figure out how to manipulate them using these genes.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of monkeys

Browse Nearby Words

goatish
goats
goatskin
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Cite this Entry

“Goats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goats. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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