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 Three baby goats at a North Carolina petting zoo tested positive for rabies, sparking a statewide search for people who interacted with the animals. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026 Public health officials in North Carolina are warning that people who visited a mobile petting zoo between late July and late August may have been exposed to rabies after multiple baby goats tested positive for the virus. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) said Sunday that tests Friday confirmed that the rabies virus was found in three baby goats. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 Multiple baby goats at a North Carolina mobile petting zoo had rabies and may have been in direct contact with people at events while infectious, state health officials said Friday. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026 Lab testing found the virus in three of the baby goats, and a fourth is also assumed to have been infected, state officials said. — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 Some herders moved 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) with their cattle in search of water and grazing land; others stayed closer to home with sheep and goats. — Anne Pisor, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goats
  1. victims
  2. scapegoats
  3. excuses
  4. monkeys
Noun
  • Four people with wounds were transported to Hennepin Healthcare to be treated for their injuries, where one of the victims died, Parten said Wednesday afternoon.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The victims were identified as Michael Newman, 41, and Stephen Scott, 28, reported the Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.
    — Josh Kelly, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of victims
Noun
  • Sending out the scapegoats in a van advertising unemployed coaches is next-level stuff.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Black folks have been used as scapegoats for the rising government budgets, and anti-Black stereotypes fueled voters to significantly reduce access to affordable healthcare and educational assistance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of scapegoats
Noun
  • Replacing a legend is never easy — but in terms of the players at his disposal, Enzo Maresca has no excuses.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • According to the complaint, Gilchrist would sporadically pay back his clients, but would come up with excuses such as government shutdowns and even claiming to be hospitalized to delay payments.
    — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of excuses
Noun
  • On the ground floor, in the VR game Dash-180c, 2026, viewers adopt the first-person perspective of a drone, which takes them to an overgrown, tropical, post-human 3D universe ruled by monkeys—more funereal than fun.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Las Vegas spectacle, which opened to the public in August 2025, already blows audiences around with tornado-force wind, shakes them with haptic seats, sends giant winged monkeys flying overhead and drops hundreds of foam apples from the ceiling.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 Aug. 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 5 Sep. 2026.

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