as in criminal
a person who has committed a crime
juvenile offenders have their criminal records sealed when they turn 18
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Recent Examples of offender
Boardman imposed a sentence of 97 months, citing Roske’s mental health and concerns about incarceration conditions and his status as a first-time criminal offender.
—
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026
Since 2013, the law has allowed juvenile offenders serving life without parole to petition to have their sentence recalled and to be resentenced.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Williams was able to petition for resentencing due to a law enacted in 2011 that allowed judges to give juvenile offenders with life without parole sentences a chance to be resentenced.
—CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
The worst offenders, though, are the goody bags.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Murrill’s office also invoked the habitual offenders statute, where criminal defendants can be tagged as habitual offenders after a fourth felony charge, according to Louisiana law, and face longer prison sentences.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2026
This doesn’t mean that day-care fraud has not taken place in Minneapolis—there’s a years-long history of such malfeasance, and both state and federal law enforcement have convicted dozens of offenders, as Kash Patel subsequently pointed out.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
Under those changes, certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders could receive a break in sentencing.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
Rantz said that when arrests are not followed by prosecution, the message to offenders is that public drug use carries few real consequences.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026
Since 2013, the law has allowed juvenile offenders serving life without parole to petition to have their sentence recalled and to be resentenced.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Williams was able to petition for resentencing due to a law enacted in 2011 that allowed judges to give juvenile offenders with life without parole sentences a chance to be resentenced.
—CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
The worst offenders, though, are the goody bags.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Murrill’s office also invoked the habitual offenders statute, where criminal defendants can be tagged as habitual offenders after a fourth felony charge, according to Louisiana law, and face longer prison sentences.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2026
This doesn’t mean that day-care fraud has not taken place in Minneapolis—there’s a years-long history of such malfeasance, and both state and federal law enforcement have convicted dozens of offenders, as Kash Patel subsequently pointed out.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
Under those changes, certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders could receive a break in sentencing.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
Rantz said that when arrests are not followed by prosecution, the message to offenders is that public drug use carries few real consequences.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offender
Noun
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In other court cases, some civil and some criminal, involving a total of nearly 300 additional hectares near Vlora, Shehu and his family members are accused of grabbing property through similar forgeries.—
Lindita Cela,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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The trio has a surprisingly good theory about the implosion of the makeshift Astral Pulse; seems like Shroud never found the original, and someone has been outfitting low-level criminals with bootlegs that are going awry like Robert’s.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The real culprits in this story, however, are the broader societal and industry transformations that are putting increasing demands on electricity needs.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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By avoiding the obvious culprit for her suffering—her identity as a new mother—Die My Love beckons the viewer closer, encouraging them to make sense of her.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offender. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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