culprit

noun

ˈkəl-prət How to pronounce culprit (audio)
Definition of culpritnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of culprit When there's no single obvious culprit, doctors may mark the cause as unknown. — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026 Over the years, culprits have ranged from El Niño and climate change to the World Trade Organization, rock ‘n’ roll music and the fluoridation of water. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian and Stephen Henriques, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026 The culprits smashed a display case before taking the necklace and fleeing the scene. — News Desk, Artforum, 28 Aug. 2026 Fruits And Vegetables To Avoid Storing Together The culprit behind why some fruits and vegetables shouldn’t be stored together is ethylene. — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
  1. offender
  2. criminal
Noun
  • First-time targeting offenders do not receive any additional sanctions.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Most of the offenders, too, appear to be delis and bodegas and fast-casual food carts, venues where quality is secondary to moving product quickly and cheaply out the door.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • Most crimes across Mexico went unsolved, and authorities sometimes appeared to be colluding with criminals instead of fighting them.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Keeping email, downloads and everyday web activity away from that machine reduces the opportunities criminals have to reach it.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

culpable
culprit
culprits
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Cite this Entry

“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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