as in offenders
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 culprits
Take back your basement by letting go of these common clutter culprits.
—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 June 2026
The primary culprits are poor data quality and a lack of risk controls.
—
Sagi Eliyahu,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Researchers have pointed to several reasons for this, with culprits including the continent’s geography—Europe borders the Arctic, the world’s fastest-warming region.
—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Most other wealthy countries haven’t seen similar increases, suggesting that possible culprits like smartphones don’t tell the whole story.
—
New York Times,
21 June 2026
One of the main culprits is the models’ propensity for sycophancy.
—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Solomon said the Jersey City Police Department has been directed to commit all of its resources to bringing the culprits to justice.
—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
The culprits have all been caught and confessed, yet the killings remain unexplained.
—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Which household products are the most common culprits The list is broader than most people realize.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
8 June 2026
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 June 2026
The primary culprits are poor data quality and a lack of risk controls.
—
Sagi Eliyahu,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Researchers have pointed to several reasons for this, with culprits including the continent’s geography—Europe borders the Arctic, the world’s fastest-warming region.
—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Most other wealthy countries haven’t seen similar increases, suggesting that possible culprits like smartphones don’t tell the whole story.
—
New York Times,
21 June 2026
One of the main culprits is the models’ propensity for sycophancy.
—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Solomon said the Jersey City Police Department has been directed to commit all of its resources to bringing the culprits to justice.
—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
The culprits have all been caught and confessed, yet the killings remain unexplained.
—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Which household products are the most common culprits The list is broader than most people realize.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprits
Noun
-
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.
-
Window treatments are one of the most common offenders.
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
“Culprits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprits. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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