strawwoman
- noun
- /ˈstrɔːˌwʊmən/
- NSFW
- The company used a strawwoman to sign the documents and hide the true owners.
Examples
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Investigators discovered that the property was actually purchased by a strawwoman acting on someone else's behalf.
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He was accused of appointing a strawwoman to evade regulatory scrutiny.
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The strawwoman was arrested last night.
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Many strawwomen are exploited in illegal activities.
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The authorities found evidence that a strawwoman was used to conceal the identity of the real owner of the offshore account.
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In order to conceal his involvement, he hired a strawwoman to launder the money.
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She reluctantly agreed to be a strawwoman for her brother, not knowing the extent of his illegal dealings.
Synonyms
A person who appears to own things but hides the real owner often for illegal acts
A person used as a front to hide the real owners of something
A woman whose name is used to hide the true owner of something
A woman who acts as the public face to hide real leaders or illegal actions
How Involved
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Strawwoman comes from the image of a straw 'dummy' like a scarecrow and the word woman, so think of a woman who only 'stands in' to hide someone else. That's why a strawwoman is someone used as a cover or front, so the true person stays hidden.