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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of culprit
The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Zacatecas confirmed prosecutors had opened an investigation into crimes of culprit homicide, injury and neglect of people following an incident last weekend resulting in one man being killed and two others injured.
—
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025
In the past five years, numerous states across the country have formed statewide prosecution teams to ferret out voter fraud, only to find few, if any, actual culprits to charge, let alone any evidence of widespread or coordinated fraud.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 May 2025
According to Saylor, the culprit is less committed investors who have taken this opportunity to exit the market.
—Dan Runkevicius, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Among the potential culprits: elite matchmaker Margo Clarke (Retta), plastic surgeon Dr. Vanessa Holmes (Gina Gershon), tech CEO Quinn Powell (Elizabeth Lail), former mafia princess Pupetta Del Ponte (Alyssa Milano) and decluttering guru Freya Frostad (Mary-Louise Parker).
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025
In the past five years, numerous states across the country have formed statewide prosecution teams to ferret out voter fraud, only to find few, if any, actual culprits to charge, let alone any evidence of widespread or coordinated fraud.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 May 2025
According to Saylor, the culprit is less committed investors who have taken this opportunity to exit the market.
—Dan Runkevicius, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Among the potential culprits: elite matchmaker Margo Clarke (Retta), plastic surgeon Dr. Vanessa Holmes (Gina Gershon), tech CEO Quinn Powell (Elizabeth Lail), former mafia princess Pupetta Del Ponte (Alyssa Milano) and decluttering guru Freya Frostad (Mary-Louise Parker).
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
criminal
Noun
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Or even those Californians, such as many in San Francisco and Los Angeles, who are just fed up with the perception that California is soft on criminals.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
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To boost deportations, immigration officials have detained workers at their homes and jobs — a method that, in the past, had been reserved for only the most violent criminals.—
Ana Ley,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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