as in offender
a person who has committed a crime
the police caught the culprit a mere two blocks from the scene of the crime
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Recent Examples of culprit
Millennials and Gen Z are the biggest culprits, with 30% of the two young generations admitting to faking working, according to a 2024 survey from Workhuman.
—
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 July 2025
The main culprit was likely a buildup of static electricity on the satellite’s metal skin, which was suddenly released, James said.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 30 June 2025
Usually, food that has expired or gone moldy, like old leftovers or moldy produce, is the culprit to bad smells.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 30 June 2025
Weak glutes are another culprit, since that causes the hamstrings to take on more work to extend the hips, Dr. Melvan explains.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 July 2025
The main culprit was likely a buildup of static electricity on the satellite’s metal skin, which was suddenly released, James said.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 30 June 2025
Usually, food that has expired or gone moldy, like old leftovers or moldy produce, is the culprit to bad smells.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 30 June 2025
Weak glutes are another culprit, since that causes the hamstrings to take on more work to extend the hips, Dr. Melvan explains.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
criminal
Noun
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But with this bill, Republicans are laying the groundwork to gut safeguards that stopped criminals from getting these deadly weapons.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
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Recently, however, the technology has been used by criminals for purposes of sextortion.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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