a person who has done sth wrong or against the law 犯错的人；罪犯
The police quickly identified the real culprits.
警方很快查出了真正的罪犯。
Police hope the public will help them to find the culprits.
a person or thing responsible for causing a problem 肇事者；引起问题的事物
The main culprit in the current crisis seems to be modern farming techniques.
当前这场危机的罪魁祸首好像是现代农业技术。
Children in this country are getting much too fat, and sugar and sweets are the main culprits.