culprit

Everyday

1. A culprit is the person who has done something wrong or committed a crime. tree →
2. A culprit is the cause of a problem. tree →

In the lessons

In detective stories and at school («Who broke the window? Find the culprit!»). In science and health, «the culprit» is the cause: «sugar is the culprit for tooth decay». Phrases: «the real culprit», «the main culprit», «the guilty culprit».

Examples

• The teacher found the culprit who drew on the wall. tree →
• The detective finally named the culprit. tree →
• The dog was the culprit — there were crumbs on its nose! tree →
• Too much sugar is the main culprit in tooth decay. tree →
• The culprit for the flood was a blocked drain. tree →
• The police are still looking for the culprits. tree →
• Here was the culprit who had brought misfortune on all of them! tree →

Note

Countable. Pronounced «KUL-prit». «Guilty culprit» repeats the idea; «culprit» already means the guilty one. Do not call someone a culprit before you know they did it.