offender

noun

Definition of offendernext
as in criminal
a person who has committed a crime juvenile offenders have their criminal records sealed when they turn 18

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offender Those illicit techniques include attaching a GPS tracker to a car or using cell-tower data to track a potential offender. — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 The repeat violent offender that attacked multiple women in Dilworth should have never been on the streets. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026 The prosecutor’s office stated that the Supreme Court could have applied a different interpretation of the law to ensure certain offenders remained on the public list. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Even with Burnham’s changes, however, the probation officers’ union and victims’ rights groups say the system is ill-equipped to cope with an influx of offenders into the community, pointing to years of chronic underfunding and staffing pressures. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 Wiener has passed laws protecting net neutrality, capping prescription costs and mandating mental health parity, ending mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, and requiring corporations disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 Assembly Bill 1546 strengthens criminal penalties for repeat DUI offenders. — Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 More often than not, this audit finds the larger offenders causing the retention problem. — Kellie Lauth, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026 If the offender comes closer than a kilometre, the app notifies police; probation authorities will then call the victim to establish their safety and can dispatch officers to the area. — Will Barker, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offender
  1. criminal
  2. culprit
Noun
  • The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The real risk is that a criminal could forge your signature on a deed or trick you into signing paperwork that transfers ownership, then file that document with the local office that maintains property records.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Hur’s film declines to name a culprit, and its detractors argue the open ending points the finger at Park Chung-hee or his government.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Those who crafted the bill hope that new pool of money shifts third-party NIL — marketing deals between athletes and entities related to the schools that have long been seen as the key culprit in runaway spending — to under that spending cap.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of culprit

Browse Nearby Words

offended
offender
offenders
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Cite this Entry

“Offender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offender. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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