goat

n. a farm animal with horns and a beard that is kept for its milk, meat, and wool.

n. a hardy, hollow-horned ruminant mammal of the genus Capra, related to the sheep.

“The farmer kept a small herd of goats for making fresh cheese.”

“Wild goats are remarkably agile, capable of navigating precarious mountain ledges that would be inaccessible to most other large mammals.”

n. a person who is blamed for a mistake or a loss, especially in sports.

n. a person who is made to bear the blame for others; a shortened form of 'scapegoat'.

“The goalkeeper was the goat after he let the ball slip through his hands.”

“In the high-stakes environment of the playoffs, a single error can turn a star player into the goat overnight.”

Informal · American English

n. the sign of Capricorn in the zodiac, often shown as a goat.

n. the constellation or zodiacal sign of Capricornus, traditionally represented as a goat or sea-goat.

“People born in January often have the goat as their zodiac sign.”

“The Tropic of Capricorn is named after the constellation of the Goat, marking the southernmost latitude where the sun can be directly overhead.”

v. to blame one person for a problem that was caused by a group.

v. to cast someone in the role of a scapegoat; to assign total responsibility for a collective failure to one individual.

“The media tried to goat the junior minister for the failed policy.”

“The administration attempted to goat the department head to distract the public from systemic failures within the ministry.”

Informal