perpetrator
Americannoun
-
perpetrators
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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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.
See Examples For:
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
Meanwhile, the alleged perpetrator has continued to work in human resources, according to Fondation des Femmes, a women's rights group that is supporting about 30 of the women affected.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
His conviction was overturned in 2022 when blood evidence ruled him out as the perpetrator.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
He damns terrorists with faint praise, as when he condemned the attack on a Jewish school in West Bloomfield, Mich., before excusing the perpetrator with the words “hurt people do hurt people.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
It isn’t our job to stop this; we should wait for the police to catch the perpetrator.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
For Rachel, any public perception that all the perpetrators have been jailed, and justice has been served, "just isn't reflective of what's really gone on".
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Sarah and two other survivors believe "hundreds" of perpetrators are still free.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"A generation after 9/11, we also know that the final response to those atrocities and the ultimate victory over the perpetrators will not be found on a foreign battlefield," Trump said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
At the time, most of Navarrete’s clients were women applying for a U visa, which offers legal status for crime victims who assist law enforcement in the prosecution of perpetrators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
And also from the position of other possible perpetrators, including kids like Libby.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
