Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

culprit

American  
[kuhl-prit] / ˈkʌl prɪt /

noun

  1. a person or other agent guilty of or responsible for an offense or fault.

  2. a person arraigned for an offense.

culprit British  
/ ˈkʌlprɪt /

noun

  1. law a person awaiting trial, esp one who has pleaded not guilty

  2. the person responsible for a particular offence, misdeed, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of culprit

1670–80; traditionally explained as cul (representing Latin culpābilis guilty) + prit (representing Anglo-French prest ready), marking the prosecution as ready to prove the defendant's guilt. See culpable, presto

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.