- a person awaiting trial, esp one who has pleaded not guilty
- the person responsible for a particular offence, misdeed, etc
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
cul•prit /ˈkʌlprɪt/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a person guilty of an offense or fault, or one accused:led in the culprits to stand before the judge.
- Lawa thing responsible for some bad effect:The doctors found the culprit: the tick responsible for Lyme disease.
cul•prit
(kul′prit),USA pronunciation n.
- a person or other agent guilty of or responsible for an offense or fault.
- Lawa person arraigned for an offense.
- 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 1670–80
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
culprit /ˈkʌlprɪt/ n
'culprit' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):