culprit
Americannoun
-
a person or other agent guilty of or responsible for an offense or fault.
-
a person arraigned for an offense.
noun
-
law a person awaiting trial, esp one who has pleaded not guilty
-
the person responsible for a particular offence, misdeed, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of culprit
1670–80; traditionally explained as cul (representing Latin culpābilis guilty) + prit (representing Anglo-French prest ready), marking the prosecution as ready to prove the defendant's guilt. See culpable, presto
Explanation
A culprit is a person who does something wrong, like committing a crime. When your wallet got stolen out of your pocket, there was a culprit to blame in the crowd. The word culprit comes from the Anglo French words cul prit, a contraction of culpable, which means "deserving blame." A culprit isn't always a person; it can be anything that caused something bad to happen — even a sock left on the steps can be a culprit if it makes you slip and fall. Don't confuse culprit with scapegoat, which is a person or thing that gets blamed for something it didn't do.
Vocabulary lists containing culprit
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Westing Game
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary: A Rapper's Delight!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Cyclospora cayetanensi, the culprit responsible, is a microscopic parasite that attacks the intestinal tract, typically spread by unwashed produce like lettuce and green onions.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
"When the real culprit turned out to be bird flu, everyone in the field was caught completely by surprise. We hadn't even remotely considered that cattle could be a host for H5N1."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
The culprit answered and was told he had been caught red-handed on CCTV, before responding with "I was going to move this, sorry mate", according to Dean.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Airfares increased about 7% between April and May and are up a whopping 27% on a year-over-year basis, making the high cost of long-haul flights one likely culprit for the domestic-travel trend.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
You think we haven't found the culprit because we're not really looking.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
An influential research paper from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab pointed at infrastructure and much-needed upgrade costs as the possible main culprits behind higher bills, at least for the moment.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
"There are only so many possible culprits, so I started to compare things that might be important," Hogan said.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 14, 2026
Local authorities have been trying to step up efforts to get a grip on the issue by using methods such as surveillance cameras to catch culprits.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
An aging grid, extreme weather and fuel-price volatility are the culprits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
She sits down, obviously pleased that the culprits have been caught.
From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
