perpetrator

American  

[pur-pi-tray-ter] / ˈpɜr pɪˌtreɪ tər /

noun

• perpetrators
  plural

1. a person who perpetrates, or commits, an illegal, criminal, or evil act.

   The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be found and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• perpetrators
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of perpetrator

First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin, from Latin perpetrāt(us), past participle of perpetrāre “to carry out, execute, perform” + -or -or ¹ ( def. ); see perpetrate ( def. )

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Explanation

A perpetrator is someone who has committed a crime — or at least done something pretty bad. You've probably seen cops on TV trying to get a description of the perpetrator of a bank heist. The word perpetrator is so often associated with crime that police officers and other criminal justice types sometimes abbreviate it “perp.” A perpetrator is often a suspect until it has been proven that he or she carried out the offense. The word usually describes someone who's committed a crime, but any wrongdoing will do. If someone took Uncle Bob's cake and a trail of crumbs leads to your bedroom, your mom will know who the likely perpetrator is.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perpetrator perpetrators

One of the videos she posted led to the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, a policeman accused of harassing schoolgirls, she says.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Authorities are trying to learn how the perpetrator gained access to the beach, including whether they boated over from the other side of the lake, investigators have said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

It may be difficult to attribute a sole drone incident to a specific perpetrator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

His conviction was overturned in 2022 when blood evidence ruled him out as the perpetrator.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

The slightest breach in decorum would find the perpetrator kicked off on the side of the road, no matter where we were.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

“The strategic advantage of cyber warfare lies in its stealth and ambiguity. Because it blurs the line between war and crime, attribution becomes difficult, enabling perpetrators to operate with minimal consequences.”

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026

“This kind of violence is unacceptable in San Francisco, and we devoted significant resources to holding the perpetrators of this incident accountable,” San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

It requires prosecuting the perpetrators of violence and educating the student body of their rights and the systems in place to protect them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The foreign minister said the perpetrators had been arrested and Palloson said they were Latvians who had been living in Russia and taken part in previous attacks.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

The book examines how individuals and institutions—victims, perpetrators, and bystanders—know about yet deny the occurrence of oppressive acts.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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Related Words

• crook
• culprit
• miscreant
• trespasser
• violator

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