Culprit
noun
The person or thing responsible for a problem, harm or wrongdoing.
The detective has found the main culprit of the crime scenario
Often appears as...
- identify the culprit
- catch the culprit
noun
A term used in the law referring to the person accused of a crime.
The lawyer presented evidence proving the innocence of the culprit
Often appears as...
- accused culprit
- proving culprit
Usage tips
Formal
noun
The cause of a problem or defect.
They discovered the main culprit of the issue was a software bug
Often appears as...
- main culprit
- discover the culprit
Usage tips
Academic
noun
The person or thing responsible for a problem, harm or wrongdoing.
The detective has found the main culprit of the crime scenario
Often appears as...
- identify the culprit
- catch the culprit
noun
A term used in the law referring to the person accused of a crime.
The lawyer presented evidence proving the innocence of the culprit
Often appears as...
- accused culprit
- proving culprit
Usage tips
Formal
noun
The cause of a problem or defect.
They discovered the main culprit of the issue was a software bug
Often appears as...
- main culprit
- discover the culprit
Usage tips
Academic
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Problem Responsibility
Use 'culprit' to highlight who or what is to blame for a negative situation.
The overworked server was the true culprit for the data loss.
Pro Tip 2/3Informal Investigations
'Culprit' can be used informally to refer to the cause of small, everyday problems.
Who's the culprit behind this kitchen mess?
Pro Tip 3/3Not Always Criminal
Remember that 'culprit' doesn't solely refer to crimes; it can also be someone causing minor troubles.
The squirrels are the culprits for our garden mayhem.
Pro Tip 1/3Problem Responsibility
Use 'culprit' to highlight who or what is to blame for a negative situation.
The overworked server was the true culprit for the data loss.
Pro Tip 2/3Informal Investigations
'Culprit' can be used informally to refer to the cause of small, everyday problems.
Who's the culprit behind this kitchen mess?
Pro Tip 3/3Not Always Criminal
Remember that 'culprit' doesn't solely refer to crimes; it can also be someone causing minor troubles.
The squirrels are the culprits for our garden mayhem.
Pro Tip 1/3Problem Responsibility
Use 'culprit' to highlight who or what is to blame for a negative situation.
The overworked server was the true culprit for the data loss.
Pro Tip 2/3Informal Investigations
'Culprit' can be used informally to refer to the cause of small, everyday problems.
Who's the culprit behind this kitchen mess?
Pro Tip 3/3Not Always Criminal
Remember that 'culprit' doesn't solely refer to crimes; it can also be someone causing minor troubles.
The squirrels are the culprits for our garden mayhem.
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Video examples
How memories form and...
Stress chemicals help mobilize energy and increase alertness. However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals, resulting in a loss of brain cells and an inability to form new ones, which affects our ability to retain new information. Depression is another culprit.
Video examples
The strange case of the...
They collected the local flora and fed samples to lab rats, but struggled to replicate the effect. So they decided to directly observe the sheep with one scientist even living with the herd for three summers. After a decade of trial and error, the scientists finally found the culprit,
Video examples
How do we separate the...
often helping to identify the culprit. Separation techniques are not just about industry, infrastructure, medicine, and justice. One of the most technically ambitious projects in human history is a separation technique aimed at answering the fundamental question,
Video examples
Why do people have...
Allergies tend to run in families, so genetics may be one culprit. In fact, errors in a gene that helps regulate the immune system are associated with higher rates of allergies. The environment you grow up in matters, too. Being exposed to an allergen as a baby
Video examples
What happens when you...
that can, in some cases, even result in dementia. The culprit is a protein called tau. Usually, tau proteins support tiny tubes inside our axons called microtubules. It's thought that repeated subconcussive hits damage the microtubules,
Video examples
The lie that invented...
as if we were talking about the light bulb. But he did. He said, in his exhaustive research, he found what he believed to be the first articulation of racist ideas. And he named the culprit. This guy should be more famous, or infamous.
Video examples
Andy Ruben: Making...
we know so much more we actually now know that the can is a major culprit the can represents over 70 percent of the human health in greenhouse gas implications now if you're like most people the secret life of a product like
Video examples
Are ghost ships real? -...
water in its hold, and lifeboats missing. The discovery of its intact cargo and a captain's log that ended abruptly led to wild rumors and speculation. But the real culprits were two scientific buoyancy and fluid dynamics.
Video examples
Orcas Kill, But Not Just...
seems so cruel. But then surely, we as human beings are the worst culprit of that. There is no other animal that will, that will engage with and kill potential food, but then not eat it and just kill it for sport.
Video examples
Man Fights Bear PIPE...
in the blink of an eye she's fighting for her life what is happening when bears do attack it's usually a grizzly bear that's the culprit
Video examples
How memories form and...
Stress chemicals help mobilize energy and increase alertness. However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals, resulting in a loss of brain cells and an inability to form new ones, which affects our ability to retain new information. Depression is another culprit.
Video examples
The strange case of the...
They collected the local flora and fed samples to lab rats, but struggled to replicate the effect. So they decided to directly observe the sheep with one scientist even living with the herd for three summers. After a decade of trial and error, the scientists finally found the culprit,
Video examples
How do we separate the...
often helping to identify the culprit. Separation techniques are not just about industry, infrastructure, medicine, and justice. One of the most technically ambitious projects in human history is a separation technique aimed at answering the fundamental question,
Video examples
Why do people have...
Allergies tend to run in families, so genetics may be one culprit. In fact, errors in a gene that helps regulate the immune system are associated with higher rates of allergies. The environment you grow up in matters, too. Being exposed to an allergen as a baby
Video examples
What happens when you...
that can, in some cases, even result in dementia. The culprit is a protein called tau. Usually, tau proteins support tiny tubes inside our axons called microtubules. It's thought that repeated subconcussive hits damage the microtubules,
Video examples
The lie that invented...
as if we were talking about the light bulb. But he did. He said, in his exhaustive research, he found what he believed to be the first articulation of racist ideas. And he named the culprit. This guy should be more famous, or infamous.
Video examples
Andy Ruben: Making...
we know so much more we actually now know that the can is a major culprit the can represents over 70 percent of the human health in greenhouse gas implications now if you're like most people the secret life of a product like
Video examples
Are ghost ships real? -...
water in its hold, and lifeboats missing. The discovery of its intact cargo and a captain's log that ended abruptly led to wild rumors and speculation. But the real culprits were two scientific buoyancy and fluid dynamics.
Video examples
Orcas Kill, But Not Just...
seems so cruel. But then surely, we as human beings are the worst culprit of that. There is no other animal that will, that will engage with and kill potential food, but then not eat it and just kill it for sport.
Video examples
Man Fights Bear PIPE...
in the blink of an eye she's fighting for her life what is happening when bears do attack it's usually a grizzly bear that's the culprit
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Claire Cameron
Canadian Novelist
While 'Visitation Street' has the markings of a traditional whodunnit mystery - starting with a missing girl, intrigue and many suspicious characters - Pochoda shows her hand early on by fingering a culprit. The book turns, then, into a 'whydunnit.
Quote examples
Hannah Arendt
German Historian
Where all are guilty, no one is; confessions of collective guilt are the best possible safeguard against the discovery of culprits, and the very magnitude of the crime the best excuse for doing nothing.
Quote examples
Debbie Ford
American Author
Fear is the culprit that robs us of our greatest lives. And although it's mostly made up or a learned behavior from our past, almost everybody I've ever met in my life struggles with fear.
Quote examples
Claude Levi-Strauss
French Scientist
Our system is the height of absurdity, since we treat the culprit both as a child, so as to have the right to punish him, and as an adult, in order to deny him consolation.
Quote examples
Kurt Elling
American Musician
I'm one of the culprits who keeps turning stuff around, shaking up original tunes and trying to stand the canon on its ear. But sometimes, you just need to sing the song.
Quote examples
Ivica Dacic
Serbian Politician
Serbia will neither allow a revision of history, nor will it forget who are the main culprits in World War I.
Quote examples
Vikram
Indian Actor
Catching a culprit becomes really easy when there are video footages from the crime scene.
Quote examples
Adnan Sami
Pakistani Musician
A song's lyrics can't be held culprit for the overall change in society.
Quote examples
Susan George
American Activist
The World Bank is now the biggest culprit in the debt crisis.
Quote examples
Marcel Pagnol
French Dramatist
It's better to choose the culprits than to seek them out.
Quote examples
Claire Cameron
Canadian Novelist
While 'Visitation Street' has the markings of a traditional whodunnit mystery - starting with a missing girl, intrigue and many suspicious characters - Pochoda shows her hand early on by fingering a culprit. The book turns, then, into a 'whydunnit.
Quote examples
Hannah Arendt
German Historian
Where all are guilty, no one is; confessions of collective guilt are the best possible safeguard against the discovery of culprits, and the very magnitude of the crime the best excuse for doing nothing.
Quote examples
Debbie Ford
American Author
Fear is the culprit that robs us of our greatest lives. And although it's mostly made up or a learned behavior from our past, almost everybody I've ever met in my life struggles with fear.
Quote examples
Claude Levi-Strauss
French Scientist
Our system is the height of absurdity, since we treat the culprit both as a child, so as to have the right to punish him, and as an adult, in order to deny him consolation.
Quote examples
Kurt Elling
American Musician
I'm one of the culprits who keeps turning stuff around, shaking up original tunes and trying to stand the canon on its ear. But sometimes, you just need to sing the song.
Quote examples
Ivica Dacic
Serbian Politician
Serbia will neither allow a revision of history, nor will it forget who are the main culprits in World War I.
Quote examples
Vikram
Indian Actor
Catching a culprit becomes really easy when there are video footages from the crime scene.
Quote examples
Adnan Sami
Pakistani Musician
A song's lyrics can't be held culprit for the overall change in society.
Quote examples
Susan George
American Activist
The World Bank is now the biggest culprit in the debt crisis.
Quote examples
Marcel Pagnol
French Dramatist
It's better to choose the culprits than to seek them out.
Example 1 of 10
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