1
the culprit
定冠词搭配，特指某个罪犯或肇事者。
The culprit was finally caught after a long investigation.
经过长期调查，罪犯终于被抓获。
肇事者；罪魁祸首
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
肇事者；罪魁祸首
a person or thing responsible for a crime, problem, or wrongdoing
The culprit was finally caught after a long investigation.
经过长期调查，罪犯终于被抓获。
对问题或罪行负有责任的人或事物。
The person or thing at fault for a problem or crime.
肇事者
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
The police arrested the culprit after a long investigation.
经过长时间的调查，警方逮捕了罪犯。
We still don't know who the real culprit is in this case.
在这个案件中，我们仍然不知道真正的罪犯是谁。
The culprit was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison.
该罪犯被判有罪，并被判处十年监禁。
定冠词搭配，特指某个罪犯或肇事者。
The culprit was finally caught after a long investigation.
经过长期调查，罪犯终于被抓获。
动词短语，强调查找或确认犯人。
The police are trying to identify the culprit who broke into the store.
警方正试图找出闯入商店的罪犯。
比喻用法，表示某事的起因或根源。
Stress is often the real culprit behind many health problems.
压力往往是许多健康问题的真正元凶。
Not this
He culpritted the theft.
Use this
He was the culprit in the theft.
中文“罪犯”是名词，而英语中“culprit”也是名词，不能加-ed变成动词。应使用“be the culprit”结构或动词“commit”。
Not this
They are the main culprit.
Use this
They are the main culprits.
“culprit”是可数名词，复数形式为“culprits”。当主语是复数时，名词也要用复数。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
主要肇事者；罪魁祸首
The main culprit was a faulty wiring connection.
主要肇事者是一处有问题的电线连接。
可能的肇事者；可疑对象
Detectives believe the likely culprit is someone from the neighborhood.
侦探认为可能的肇事者来自这个街区。
找出肇事者；确认罪魁祸首
The investigation failed to identify the culprit.
调查未能找出肇事者。
抓住肇事者；抓获罪犯
The police finally caught the culprit after a two-week search.
经过两周的搜寻，警方终于抓住了肇事者。
真正的罪魁祸首；真正的肇事者
Everyone blamed the manager, but the real culprit was the outdated software.
大家都怪罪经理，但真正的罪魁祸首是过时的软件。
幕后的肇事者；...的罪魁祸首
Scientists are trying to find the culprit behind the sudden drop in fish numbers.
科学家们正试图找出导致鱼类数量骤降的罪魁祸首。
惯常的罪魁祸首
When the Wi-Fi drops, the usual culprit is the router overheating.
Wi-Fi断线时，常见的罪魁祸首是路由器过热。
主要原因；主要肇因
The main culprit behind the rise in prices is the shortage of raw materials.
物价上涨的主要原因是原材料短缺。
真正的元凶；真正的肇事者
After weeks of investigation, the police finally identified the real culprit.
经过数周调查，警方终于找到了真正的元凶。
Use culprit naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记住‘the culprit’这个侦探台词：‘The culprit is you!’——手指一伸，肇事者就现身了。
语域：mixed 常见场景：news reports、casual conversation、police statements “culprit” 在正式和非正式语境中都较常见；新闻、警方声明中多指“肇事者”，日常对话中也可指“造成问题的罪魁祸首”。
Final /prɪt/ in ‘culprit’ is also heard in ‘interpret’ and ‘misinterpret’ (both end in the unstressed syllable /prɪt/), though neither rhymes with ‘culprit’ because the stressed vowels differ. Words such as ‘spirit’ (/ˈspɪrɪt/) and ‘hypocrite’ (/ˈhɪpəkrɪt/) look similar in spelling but are pronounced with /rɪt/ or /krɪt/, not /prɪt/. ‘Brit’ (/brɪt/) shows the same final /rɪt/ sound with a different first consonant, and ‘pit’ (/pɪt/) isolates the final /ɪt/ without the /r/.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.