culprit

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They note that the main culprit was a “catastrophically bad control-room design” where workers “were unable to understand what was going wrong.”

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

Technology has been the alleged culprit behind everything from spiraling anxiety to vanishing attention spans to social isolation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

According to analysts interviewed for this column, the primary culprit is the game that companies and analysts play to keep expectations low before earnings reports.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

She added that it "was not good enough" that the culprit had not yet been prosecuted and the taxpayer had now been left to pay for the clear-up.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

The culprit was a falcon thief named Bate.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George