1. a person who is guilty of a crime or wrongdoing
2. the cause of a problem or difficulty

Examples

• The police arrested the culprit who stole the car.
• Security cameras helped identify the culprit in the vandalism case.
• The detective searched for clues to find the real culprit.
• Poor diet was the main culprit behind his health problems.
• Heavy rain was the culprit that caused the flooding.
• The faulty wire was the culprit in the electrical fire.