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 Sovereign bond yields around the world are on the rise, with many on Wall Street pointing to rising oil prices and inflation fears as the culprits . — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026 Your beverage order might also be an in-flight indigestion culprit. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2026 Turnbull found the two biggest culprits are equipment issues and weather. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Two of the five panels were later abandoned and found by passersby as the culprits fled the scene. — News Desk, Artforum, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
  1. offender
  2. criminal
Noun
  • Hansen’s sentence was first reduced to 25 years to life, and the state later created a pathway to earlier parole for many youthful offenders serving life sentences.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • From names like ChatGPT and Gemini to Meta AI, Perplexity, and even Grok, the report identifies which chatbots are the most privacy-friendly and transparent in their practices and which are the worst offenders.
    — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • Boxing is fun especially when the boxer in question is beating up criminals in East London.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Working together to track these flows would reduce the chance that international criminals can extend their reach beyond any single jurisdiction.
    — Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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