Definition principal offender in British English

principal offender noun

[countable] noun

/ˌprɪnsəp(ə)l əˈfendə(r)/

the person in a group of offenders who carries out the main part of a criminal act. If there is more than one principal offender, they are called joint principals.

Synonyms and related words

criminal offender underworld

Explore Thesaurus