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

Compared with participants who had not read the explanation, DARVO-educated participants believed the victim more and supported the perpetrator less.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

The alleged perpetrator was “chased out of the building” and “no one affiliated with AEPi was involved or complicit with this incident,” according to an AEPi statement posted on Instagram.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 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

"The investigation into the exact sequence of events, the background, and the possible motive is currently underway. At this time, it is assumed that the perpetrator acted alone," police said in a statement.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Fortunately, we have the perpetrator in custody and will be able to put him on trial.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

“Attempting to distinguish among crimes and offenders for clemency would inadvertently create two classes of murder victims—those whose perpetrators deserve the death penalty and then the rest,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

"A grooming gang is a group of two or more perpetrators, regardless of ethnicity or race," she said.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

His housing minister, Vincent Jeanbrun, singled out "a small part of our working-class neighbourhoods" as the home of many of the perpetrators.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he had told Levine that the "despicable behaviour of the perpetrators of this attack does not represent the citizens or the values of the State of Israel".

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Rest assured that we are taking this incident very seriously and will investigate this matter thoroughly with the Montgomery County police, and appropriate action will be taken against the perpetrators.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

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Related Words

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• culprit
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