noun
culprit
KUHLP-riht
noun
1
The person or thing responsible for a problem, crime, or wrongdoing.
"Police finally identified the culprit behind the break-ins."
"Too much sugar is often the real culprit behind afternoon energy crashes."
How to Use Culprit
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWhoever or whatever is to blame for something going wrong.
Common pairings
identify the culprit
the real culprit
Word Forms
culprits plural
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Police finally identified the _____ behind the break-ins.
Etymology
From an Anglo-Norman legal phrase used when opening a trial, roughly "guilty: ready [to prove our case]" — later mistaken as a term addressing the accused directly.