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
Jax knew her dog couldn't have been the culprit.
—
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
For the study, the researchers used a technique called protein-SIP (stable isotope probing), to identify the culprit.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Salah and Isak have been the biggest culprits, whereas Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike have scored two of three apiece, and Federico Chiesa has scored one of two.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
The culprit was a national tax on outbound payments called the Contribution for intervention in the Economic Domain (CIDE).
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
For the study, the researchers used a technique called protein-SIP (stable isotope probing), to identify the culprit.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Salah and Isak have been the biggest culprits, whereas Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike have scored two of three apiece, and Federico Chiesa has scored one of two.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
The culprit was a national tax on outbound payments called the Contribution for intervention in the Economic Domain (CIDE).
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
Noun
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All colors change under different lights, but white is one of the biggest offenders due to its highly reflective quality.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Oct. 2025
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This approach will ensure that this tool is aimed at giving the worst offenders a financial incentive to operate by the same set of rules as the rest of us.—
Wes Burdine,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To suggest that another candidate’s supporters are criminals — particularly when that candidate is, by all measures, poised to win at least a plurality of votes in the city — does not seem like a recipe for earning New Yorkers’ support.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Binance also lacked protocols — standard for financial services companies — to report transactions for money laundering risks, according to the Justice Department, and employees were well aware that such an oversight would invite criminals to the platform.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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