perpetrator

American  

[pur-pi-trey-ter] / ˈpɜr pɪˌtreɪ tər /

noun

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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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. ); perpetrate ( def. )

Example Sentences

The interior ministry statement said in a statement translated from Arabic: "Security forces immediately launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations, tracking the kidnappers' movements."

From BBC

In Scotland, there is no record if the perpetrator is male.

From BBC

Germany, she said, was "an absolute haven for perpetrators".

From BBC

Victimization doesn’t just happen because a person from a minority group is standing around, there’s almost always a perpetrator.

From Los Angeles Times

The diversity of the attacks and the perpetrators makes matters worse.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crook
• culprit
• miscreant
• trespasser
• violator