How to Use culprit in a Sentence

culprit

noun
  • The police eventually located the culprits.
  • No one knew who the culprit was.
    — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But the worst culprit of all is neck pain.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Craney added the cost is the culprit.
    — Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
  • Kids and adults alike are the culprits.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Jax knew her dog couldn't have been the culprit.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The three most likely culprits are bears, wild boars and dogs.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025
  • These are all common culprits of wall stains.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The culprit is a weak cold front that is passing the area this evening.
    — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023
  • If so, your kitchen garbage could be the culprit behind the foul smell.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 19 June 2026
  • The culprit, of course, is cosmic dust.
    — Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025
  • To get rid of a few weeds, use a weeding tool or hand-pull the culprits.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Housing is the culprit, not wages!
    — Russell Hancock, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The culprit was her dental bridge.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
  • If the crust is on a ceiling, a roof leak is often the culprit.
    — Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2021
  • The Weiss report said that changes to tort laws were the culprits.
    — J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Stress is the most likely culprit, Brody says.
    — Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The commute home is one of the biggest culprits.
    — Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
  • Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit.
    — Kenya Hunter, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
  • The biggest culprit was its lagging pace of play.
    — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Of course, naming culprits often says more about the namer than the named.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Here are 10 of the most common culprits—and how to stop them.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
  • Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is the real culprit.
    — Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Thankfully, if this is the main culprit, there's an easy fix.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 2 June 2026
  • If the scales are imbalanced both times, the ball that stayed still is the culprit.
    — Katie McCormick, Quanta Magazine, 16 Nov. 2021
  • If your house looks a bit gloomy lately, the culprit could be dusty light fixtures.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
  • But when someone ends up dead, the trip shifts to culprits and cover-ups.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The main culprit is the cost of hydrogen.
    — Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • The culprit was caught, the NPS said.
    — Frederick Dreier, Outside, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The culprit wasn’t Moton at all.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culprit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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