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Scapegoat

/skˈeɪˌpɡoʊt/
C1
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(noun) In the Mosaic Day of Atonement ritual, a goat symbolically imbued with the sins of the people, and sent out alive into the wilderness while another was sacrificed.

They're looking for a scapegoat.
He's always the scapegoat.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The junior employee became the ____ for the project's failure despite having little responsibility.

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