perpetrator
Americannoun
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. )
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.
Vocabulary lists containing perpetrator
This Week in Words: January 26 - February 1, 2019
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And Then There Were None
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Hoot
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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 open a case, then it’s closed. Perpetrator unknown, even if we give them pictures.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2024
The results of the examination contrasted sharply with the Police Department’s initial account, titled “Death of Perpetrator in Police Custody, Within the Confines of the 120 Precinct.”
From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2015
Despite the title of its report — Protecting the Force: Lessons from Fort Hood — there is only a single page dedicated to the chapter entitled "Oversight of the Alleged Perpetrator."
From Time • Jan. 20, 2010
Who the Perpetrator of this Parisian maleficence was, remained dark;—and would not be worth inquiring into at all, except for two reasons intrinsically trifling, but not quite without interest to readers of our time.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 19 by Carlyle, Thomas
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.
