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perp

1 American  
[purp] / pɜrp /

noun

Police Slang.

  1. the perpetrator of a crime.

perp. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. perpendicular.

perp British  
/ pɜːp /

noun

  1. informal a person who has committed a crime

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of perp

C20: from perpetrate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk,” said the lawyer, Jim Trusty.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

Hey, all due respect, we think the opportunity to set the record straight on your perp lineup is an offer no mug could refuse.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2023

"He wanted a perp walk; he wanted daylight hours," the source said.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2023

Other US media say there will be no perp walk - when a handcuffed suspect is publicly marched by officers to face charges.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2023

Anybody who has seen two episodes of The Shield knows that if a perp isn’t identified in the first forty- eight hours, the likelihood of nailing him is cut in half.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.