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
The obvious culprit is our food supply.
—
Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Freedman is neither pinpointed by Jones’ forensics as a culprit nor named in her suit as a defendant.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Check swings are sometimes the culprit, but the hamate can also become stressed from years of use.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
The company pointed to the downturn in consumer confidence—which took a nosedive to a 12-year low in January, according to the Conference Board—as the culprit behind shoppers’ trepidation.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Freedman is neither pinpointed by Jones’ forensics as a culprit nor named in her suit as a defendant.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Check swings are sometimes the culprit, but the hamate can also become stressed from years of use.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
The company pointed to the downturn in consumer confidence—which took a nosedive to a 12-year low in January, according to the Conference Board—as the culprit behind shoppers’ trepidation.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
Noun
-
Cowley wants to champion policies that attack the root causes of violence while holding offenders accountable, according to her campaign website.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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My key priorities include prosecuting violent offenders, gangs, traffickers, fentanyl dealers, and cartels; supporting local law enforcement; pursuing lawsuits to defend Texas; and aggressively investigating and prosecuting fraud.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Violence is widespread in the city proper, with large encampments where meth and other drugs are readily available and criminals reportedly exploit the city’s free bus system to carry out offenses.—
Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Godwin is well known in the space, having assisted law enforcement nationwide leading to the removal of hundreds of criminals from the streets.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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