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
Shifting expectations - and schools' inability to meet them - may be the largest culprit.
—
Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
Often, the culprit lies hidden beneath the surface: technical debt.
—Shyam Alok, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
The titanium, which was not native to the body, seemed a likely culprit for the failure.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
The Grammy winner finally took matters into her own hands Thursday evening and revealed the culprits behind her bizarre video.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for culprit 
Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
Often, the culprit lies hidden beneath the surface: technical debt.
—Shyam Alok, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
The titanium, which was not native to the body, seemed a likely culprit for the failure.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
The Grammy winner finally took matters into her own hands Thursday evening and revealed the culprits behind her bizarre video.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for culprit
Thesaurus Entries Near culprit
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/culprit. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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