culprit

noun

cul·​prit ˈkəl-prət How to pronounce culprit (audio)
-ˌprit
1
: one accused of or charged with a crime
The culprit pleaded "not guilty."
2
: one guilty of a crime or a fault
The culprit expressed remorse at his sentencing.
3
: the source or cause of a problem
Lack of exercise and poor diet are the main culprits in heart disease.

Did you know?

We would be culpable—that is, deserving of blame—if we didn’t clearly explain the origin of culprit. Yes, it is related to culpable, which itself comes (via Middle English and Anglo-French) from the Latin verb culpare, meaning “to blame.” But the etymology of culprit is not so straightforward. In Anglo-French, culpable meant “guilty,” and this was abbreviated “cul.” in legal briefs and texts. Culprit was formed by combining this abbreviation with the Anglo-French word prest or prit, meaning “ready”; literally, a culprit was one who was ready to be proven guilty. The word was eventually adopted into English and used to refer to someone who is accused of a wrongdoing. The word has since taken on an additional meaning: “the source or cause of a problem.”

Examples of culprit in a Sentence

The police eventually located the culprits. the police caught the culprit a mere two blocks from the scene of the crime
Recent Examples on the Web The primary culprit behind Wisconsin's unseasonably warm winter is a weather phenomenon known as El Niño. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 The same culprit is almost always responsible for bailing on the market: fear and uncertainty. Wes Moss, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Defense attorneys argue that evidence doesn’t identify Ewers as the culprit. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 As their research reaches a conclusion that commercial pesticides are the culprit, and on the cusp of publishing their findings, the numbers inside the conclusion are telling a different story. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 There’s a culprit responsible for mountains of waste in our landfills: fast furniture. Jenna Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 In that incident, a glitch in the way the company’s network was routing traffic was identified as the culprit and the service failure was relatively short-lived. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Feb. 2024 If that eliminates your butt wink, then restricted ankle dorsiflexion is the likely culprit, Dr. Pagliano says. Christa Sgobba, SELF, 22 Feb. 2024 The main culprit of inflation was the Federal Reserve’s expansionary monetary policy, but after the Fed jacked up interest rates in 2022, inflation has come down and is near its 2 percent long-run target. Thomas L. Hogan, National Review, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culprit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French cul. (abbreviation of culpable guilty) + prest, prit ready (i.e., to prove it), from Latin praestus — more at presto

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of culprit was in 1678

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Dictionary Entries Near culprit

Cite this Entry

“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culprit. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

culprit

noun
cul·​prit ˈkəl-prət How to pronounce culprit (audio)
-ˌprit
1
: one accused of or charged with a crime or fault
2
: one guilty of a crime or fault

More from Merriam-Webster on culprit

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