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 In the case of intermittent signals, the culprit might never be found. — IEEE Spectrum, 28 Oct. 2026 The subsequent court case involving the Francoist throwback police culprits became a show trial for Spain’s young democracy. — John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026 If this fiddly little hinge piece is the culprit, there’s no way to prevent the OLED on an affected device from failing. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026 Infectious-disease doctors identified the culprit of these illnesses as a type of Sporothrix fungus. — Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
  1. offender
  2. criminal
Noun
  • One of the key differences between this new ordinance and the previous two is the fine is steeper for first- and second-time offenders, which was a request from City Council.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • That feeling of closure was shattered last week when her attacker was paroled under a controversial law that makes nonviolent offenders eligible for early release.
    — Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • The 83-year-old Mann is known for directing gritty crime stories, many of which look at cops and criminals and are set in urban landscapes.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 1 Nov. 2026
  • If a criminal still controls the sender's inbox, that person could potentially intercept the question and send a reassuring answer.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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