culprit

noun cul·prit \ ˈkəl-prət , -ˌprit \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of culprit

1 : one accused of or charged with a crime

The culprit pleaded "not guilty."

2 : one guilty of a crime or a fault

The culprit expressed remorse at his sentencing.

3 : the source or cause of a problem

Lack of exercise and poor diet are the main culprits in heart disease.

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Examples of culprit in a Sentence

The police eventually located the culprits.
the police caught the culprit a mere two blocks from the scene of the crime

Recent Examples of culprit from the Web

While China is a major culprit in the illicit production of synthetic opioids, substances like Carfentanil can also be made with ease domestically.

— cristina corbin, Fox News, "Run-ins with Carfentanil: The opioid 5,000 times more potent than heroin," 11 Apr. 2018
For about a decade, archaeologists have known that widespread drought in the Mediterranean was a culprit in the fall of civilizations there in the Late Bronze Age.

— New York Times, "Faced With Drought, the Pharaohs Tried (and Failed) to Adapt," 30 Mar. 2018
While the final toxicology report is expected to be released next week, propofol—brand name Diprivan—is being named as a potential culprit in Michael Jackson’s death.

— Newsweek, "Amazing Photos of Bioluminescent Phytoplankton," 14 Mar. 2018
Much of the mortgage market—the culprit in the crisis a decade ago—has moved outside the banking system altogether.

— ryan tracy, WSJ, "Ten Years After the Bear Stearns Bailout, Nobody Thinks It Would Happen Again," 13 Mar. 2018
At the time, the government was desperately scrambling to make sure the country was protected and the culprits in the attack were hunted down.

— martin finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "6 things to know about Gina Haspel," 13 Mar. 2018
The key culprit in all three of Cleveland's losses since the All-Star break (all at home) has been bad 3-point shooting.

— joe vardon, cleveland.com, "Cavaliers shoot way to another home loss, 108-97 to Sixers," 2 Mar. 2018
And free-throw shooting has been an issue has been a culprit in all three.

— brent zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News, "Missed FTs continue to haunt A&M," 23 Feb. 2018
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said stagnant offense was main culprit in 108-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, which snapped a five-game winning streak.

— dana gauruder, Detroit Free Press, "Jameer Nelson: Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy 'still the same'," 10 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'culprit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

We would be culpable if we didn't clearly explain the origins behind culprit. Yes, it is related to culpable, which itself derives from Latin culpare, meaning "to blame," via Middle English and Anglo-French. But the etymology of culprit is not so straightforward. In Anglo-French, culpable meant "guilty," and this was abbreviated "cul." in legal briefs and texts. Culprit was formed by combining this abbreviation with prest, prit, meaning "ready"-that is, ready to prove an accusation. Literally, then, a culprit was one who was ready to be proven guilty. English then borrowed the word for one accused of a wrongdoing.