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On Yom Kippur, the ancient Hebrews would sacrifice one goat for God and lead another one, over whom all the sins of Israel had been confessed, into the wilderness to bear the sins of the people away. The ceremony is described in Leviticus, where it is said that one lot shall be cast for God and one for "Azazel." Modern scholars usually interpret Azazel (ʽazāzēl in Hebrew) as being the name of a demon living in the desert, but ancient biblical translators thought ʽazāzēl referred to the goat itself, apparently confusing the word with the Hebrew phrase ʽēz 'ōzēl, meaning "goat that departs." Thus, in a 16th century English translation, the word for Azazel/the goat was rendered as scapegoote—that is, "goat that escapes." The extended senses of scapegoat we use today evolved from this biblical use.
Examples of scapegoat in a Sentence
Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2025
Find another scapegoat to rationalize your assault on the crown jewels of American progress — our colleges and universities that until now have attracted the best and the brightest from our country and all over the world.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2025
David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
In a November 2024 op-ed for the New York Times, the governor pleaded with his fellow Democrats to not scapegoat trans people for the party’s loss.
—James Factora, Them., 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scapegoat
Cite this Entry
“Scapegoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scapegoat. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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