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
According to data revealed Thursday, the Shanghai-to-Los Angeles corridor was the biggest culprit of the upward move.
—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
25 June 2026
The problem is, given that neutral hydrogen is adept at absorbing the ultraviolet light, astronomers have had difficulty tracing that ultraviolet back to its source and identifying which of the two suspects are the main culprit.
—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
24 June 2026
Thankfully, a nearby livestream camera previously installed by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory revealed the culprit.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
24 June 2026
Deer are the number one culprit likely to eat landscape and garden plants.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
25 June 2026
The problem is, given that neutral hydrogen is adept at absorbing the ultraviolet light, astronomers have had difficulty tracing that ultraviolet back to its source and identifying which of the two suspects are the main culprit.
—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
24 June 2026
Thankfully, a nearby livestream camera previously installed by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory revealed the culprit.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
24 June 2026
Deer are the number one culprit likely to eat landscape and garden plants.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
Noun
-
The offender is described as an African-American man between 40-45 years of age, weighing 180-200 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray/black baseball cap, a light blue shirt, gray pants, and black gym shoes.
-
To better understand what drives a young person to commit these crimes, CNN spent months searching for prior offenders willing to speak about their experience.
Noun
-
What begins as a chance to escape the routine of his everyday life quickly spirals into a dangerous gathering of powerful criminals, old enemies, and unresolved loyalties.
-
That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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