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
If guys aren’t going to hold themselves to certain competitive standards, Gobert suggested, Wolves coach Chris Finch should start benching the culprits.
—
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
Historically, it's been thought these volcanic arcs were the primary culprits of injecting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
—Ben Mather, Space.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Priced at $88 for a 30-day supply of capsules, the supplement adresses hair loss among Gen X and Boomer men for whom later-stage androgenetic alopecia is perhaps one cause of hair loss, but aging and collagen loss, among other biological shifts, are the foremost culprits.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
The Weiss report said that changes to tort laws were the culprits.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 3 Feb. 2026
According to three interior designers, these are the potential culprits.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 2 Feb. 2026
Identifying the culprits is difficult, and Russia denies responsibility.
—Lorne Cook, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
While she and his working mom (Sarah Snook) are initially seen as culprits, the boy’s selfish father (Jake Lacy, who played similar roles in the dire Moriarty adaptation Apples Never Fall and The White Lotus) turns out to be the guiltiest party of all.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
These are all common culprits of wall stains.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 27 Jan. 2026
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
Historically, it's been thought these volcanic arcs were the primary culprits of injecting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
—Ben Mather, Space.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Priced at $88 for a 30-day supply of capsules, the supplement adresses hair loss among Gen X and Boomer men for whom later-stage androgenetic alopecia is perhaps one cause of hair loss, but aging and collagen loss, among other biological shifts, are the foremost culprits.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
The Weiss report said that changes to tort laws were the culprits.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 3 Feb. 2026
According to three interior designers, these are the potential culprits.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 2 Feb. 2026
Identifying the culprits is difficult, and Russia denies responsibility.
—Lorne Cook, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
While she and his working mom (Sarah Snook) are initially seen as culprits, the boy’s selfish father (Jake Lacy, who played similar roles in the dire Moriarty adaptation Apples Never Fall and The White Lotus) turns out to be the guiltiest party of all.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
These are all common culprits of wall stains.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprits
Noun
-
Despite the wholesale change in how California sentences juvenile offenders, outrage over the crime has not faded.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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In 2024, the Associated Press reported that inmates at a Virginia facility that predominantly holds mentally ill offenders were hospitalized for hypothermia at least 13 times over the course of three years.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There’s no word on ICE having a special decoder ring that tracks only the criminals.—
Tressie McMillan Cottom,
Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Houser said that because the majority of Americans support removing serious criminals, the White House muddies the waters in an effort to maintain support for mass deportations.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Culprits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprits. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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