How to Use patsy in a Sentence

patsy

noun
  • They treated us like a bunch of patsies.
  • So why should Democrats be patsies and take the high road?
    Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2017
  • Hasn’t Denver played the patsy, used and abused by the Chiefs, for too long?
    Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, 14 Dec. 2019
  • The reason the episode works so well is because Homer makes the perfect patsy, of sorts.
    Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
  • But this does not mean that the U.S. should play the patsy time and again, which was the Obama policy.
    The Editors, National Review, 10 July 2017
  • Was someone just trying to frame Cazes, to use him as a patsy?
    Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2022
  • Matt Campbell’s team at Iowa State sets up as the patsy today.
    oregonlive, 2 Jan. 2021
  • While the Angels won four of their six games against the Yankees this season, no team has played the patsy for the Yankees over the last two decades like the Twins have.
    Billy Witz, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2017
  • The second is that Jack is a red herring or a patsy, and that Eleanor is the primary villain of the season.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2021
  • N: The coach’s just a patsy, a fall guy, for the failings of the U president and the athletic director.
    Rubén Rosario, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2017
  • Getting rid of Notre Dame from football schedule to play a patsy?
    Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2024
  • In that scenario, Trump will end up being just another patsy for the regime.
    Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, 11 Mar. 2018
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, ajc, 19 Dec. 2021
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The Maxwells strongly assert the U.S. justice system is making a patsy of their youngest sister.
    Mallika Sen, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2021
  • Indeed, what if the whole lurid rap sheet has been an elaborate set-up, with Nero as history’s patsy?
    Gaia Squarci, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2020
  • Their traits are parceled out on a one-per-customer basis: Humphrey’s a patsy, King a worrier, Carmichael a hothead and Wallace a weasel.
    Jesse Green, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2019
  • The Bulls have allowed the second-most points per game to shooting guards this season, making them a willing patsy for Clarkson.
    Cory Hanley, SI.com, 26 Jan. 2018
  • The Fringe Factor: Note: This one is not like shows where an audience member or two might get called up to be an unwitting patsy to a sketch or a trick.
    Trevor Fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, 21 May 2017
  • The problem is, the Buffaloes paid a physical price for not scheduling patsies.
    oregonlive, 11 Oct. 2019
  • On Saturday, a trio of schools from the humble Sun Belt Conference took the money—and then staged a rebellion against the practice of playing the patsy for the big boys.
    Laine Higgins, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022
  • The Minnesota Wild’s blip is officially a stumble as the slumping, skidding team once again was a patsy against the Winnipeg Jets.
    Michael Russo, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Despite this track record of stealth and success, liberals have often dismissed Thomas as stupid or a sellout, a patsy and a puppet, the Justice who cannot speak.
    Corey Robin, The New Yorker, 9 July 2022
  • The great military tactician seemed a patsy for every scoundrel and proved a woeful judge of character.
    Karen Heller, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2017
  • The difference is that Horton was a pachyderm patsy, snookered into pro bono egg-tending by a ne’er-do-well bird, while Glennon will make a cool $16 million this year.
    Pat Fitzmaurice, SI.com, 2 Aug. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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