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

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

Last year Utah’s insurance commissioner flagged such holdings as a key culprit in the financial problems of a troubled private-equity owned insurer there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The primary culprit: Women’s wages stop growing almost a decade before men’s do, with women’s wage growth leveling off after age 35.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

And if the culprit wasn’t caught soon, he was looking at a lifetime back with the Dursleys.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling