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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Recent Examples of culprit
The obvious culprit is our food supply.
—
Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Freedman is neither pinpointed by Jones’ forensics as a culprit nor named in her suit as a defendant.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Check swings are sometimes the culprit, but the hamate can also become stressed from years of use.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
The company pointed to the downturn in consumer confidence—which took a nosedive to a 12-year low in January, according to the Conference Board—as the culprit behind shoppers’ trepidation.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Freedman is neither pinpointed by Jones’ forensics as a culprit nor named in her suit as a defendant.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Check swings are sometimes the culprit, but the hamate can also become stressed from years of use.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
The company pointed to the downturn in consumer confidence—which took a nosedive to a 12-year low in January, according to the Conference Board—as the culprit behind shoppers’ trepidation.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for culprit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for culprit
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
-
Violence is widespread in the city proper, with large encampments where meth and other drugs are readily available and criminals reportedly exploit the city’s free bus system to carry out offenses.—
Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Godwin is well known in the space, having assisted law enforcement nationwide leading to the removal of hundreds of criminals from the streets.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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