as in offender
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Recent Examples of perpetrator
Lauderhill police said that in self-defense, the mother then stabbed the perpetrator, but even that wasn't enough to subdue her.
—
Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
An unknown perpetrator threw several Molotov cocktails at a Russian center in Prague promoting culture and history, Czech police said on Friday.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Benson was most recently seen starring alongside Alfie Allen in Mike Ott’s McVeigh, an indie drama based on the true story of Oklahoma City Bombing perpetrator Timothy McVeigh, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Such rhetoric shifts focus away from the perpetrator and the broader failures that allow violent crime to persist.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Police started to see a pattern between the attacks, including how the perpetrator was entering the apartments and how he was described by his victims.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, a series of murders and missing persons cases are beginning to look like the work of a single Bible-loving perpetrator, somebody adept at removing digits and leaving clues that seem to point to a serial killer.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
The lone perpetrator, Bryan Kohberger, then 27, a graduate student at Washington State University in nearby Pullman, Washington, was taken into custody in late December 2022.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 24 Mar. 2026
Greater dependence on the perpetrator has been linked with a greater likelihood of staying with an abusive partner a year after a police report of domestic violence.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
An unknown perpetrator threw several Molotov cocktails at a Russian center in Prague promoting culture and history, Czech police said on Friday.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Benson was most recently seen starring alongside Alfie Allen in Mike Ott’s McVeigh, an indie drama based on the true story of Oklahoma City Bombing perpetrator Timothy McVeigh, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Such rhetoric shifts focus away from the perpetrator and the broader failures that allow violent crime to persist.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Police started to see a pattern between the attacks, including how the perpetrator was entering the apartments and how he was described by his victims.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, a series of murders and missing persons cases are beginning to look like the work of a single Bible-loving perpetrator, somebody adept at removing digits and leaving clues that seem to point to a serial killer.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
The lone perpetrator, Bryan Kohberger, then 27, a graduate student at Washington State University in nearby Pullman, Washington, was taken into custody in late December 2022.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 24 Mar. 2026
Greater dependence on the perpetrator has been linked with a greater likelihood of staying with an abusive partner a year after a police report of domestic violence.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perpetrator
Noun
-
Holmes qualified for the reduced term under a 2023 rule change allowing first-time offenders to do less time for some non-violent crimes, according to an order issued Thursday by the federal judge who sentenced her in 2022 for defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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And many Democrats see it as an effort to curb more liberal prosecutors who have embraced restorative justice policies, including steering nonviolent offenders away from prison sentences or taking more lax approaches to drug offenses.—
Riley Bunch,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are further surprises when Mason’s camera at last faces that perp, serving a life sentence in prison.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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But Seiler, the CEO of STS Digital, believes there’s a downside to the expansion of perps, which let traders magnify their gains or losses.—
Ben Weiss,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Cyber criminals linked to Iran have accessed FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email account, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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That convenience also gives criminals a perfect disguise.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lillian Cross, a doctor’s wife, ended up standing near the would-be assassin.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
She’s also consumed by vengeful rage, much of it directed at the unstable assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).—
Bob Strauss,
Houston Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Mangione faces numerous charges at the state and federal level in connection with the December 2024 assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two from Minnesota who was in New York City for a work conference when a gunman snuck up behind him and opened fire.—
Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him in the head from behind.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The weapons possession by a felon charge resulted in one year in jail, with credit for time served.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
They also were charged with being felons in possession of a weapon.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Set against mountainous landscapes and rural lakes, the story follows a wandering swordsman who is falsely accused of stealing a shipment of gold and must unravel a web of intrigue involving bandits, palace guards and corrupt officials while attempting to clear his name.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Other malefactors he’s let off the hook include Changpeng Zhao, the money-laundering former CEO of Binance, which has ties to the Trump family’s cryptocurrency business; disgraced former congressman and embezzler George Santos; and Illinois’ politically corrupt former governor, Rod Blagojevich.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
10 Dec. 2025
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Electronic medical records were once touted as secure, but whole hospital systems have been taken down and held for ransom by malefactors.—
Cory Franklin,
Twin Cities,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perpetrator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perpetrator. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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