perpetrator

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableformal

   Someone who commits a crime or a harmful or violent act.

   Grammar: Countable and usually followed by of: the perpetrator of the attack.

   Patterns

   • the perpetrator of something

   Police are still searching for the perpetrator of the robbery.

   The perpetrator fled the scene before officers arrived.

   Witnesses were asked to identify the perpetrator.

2. 2nouncountablehumorous

   A person responsible for something wrong or foolish, even if not a crime.

   Grammar: Sometimes humorous: the perpetrator of the prank.

   Patterns

   • the perpetrator of something

   The perpetrator of the office prank finally confessed.

   Who is the perpetrator of this terrible pun?

   The cat was the perpetrator of the broken vase.

Word forms

Common combinations

identify the perpetrator

Detectives hope to identify the perpetrator soon.

perpetrator of a crime

The perpetrator of the crime was caught on camera.

alleged perpetrator

The alleged perpetrator denies the charge.

bring the perpetrator to justice

Officials promised to bring the perpetrator to justice.

victim and perpetrator

The report examines both victim and perpetrator.

Synonyms and how they differ

culprit

Culprit is more informal and often used for minor wrongdoing, while perpetrator suits serious crimes.

offender

Offender is a legal term for anyone who has broken a law.

criminal

Criminal is broader and may mean a habitual lawbreaker, not only one specific act.

wrongdoer

Wrongdoer is general and includes moral wrong, not only crime.

Opposites

Word family

perpetrate verb

to commit a crime or a harmful act

perpetration noun

the act of committing a crime

perpetrated adjective

carried out, as in a perpetrated crime

Commonly confused: perpetrator or perpetuate?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “perpetrator”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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