sex work

American  

[seks wurk] / ˈsɛks ˌwɜrk /

noun

1. the sex industry or work in this industry, including prostitution, pornography, stripping, or pornographic modeling intended to sexually arouse clients.

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Other Word Forms

• sex worker noun

Etymology

Origin of sex work

First recorded in 1930–35 in the sense “the academic study of sexual behavior,” and in 1980–85 for the current sense

Example Sentences

In Bravo’s hands, the viral tweet storm is a “Wizard of Oz”-like fairy tale that turns nightmare — a hallucinogenic but clear-eyed adventure through sex work, social media, race and violence that’s both fantastical and darkly real.

From Seattle Times

Major alleged sex work hub Backpage.com, for instance, was seized before the law was signed.

From The Verge

Dubbed Britain's first legal red light zone, the "managed approach" to street sex work in Holbeck was the subject of considerable debate since it began in 2014.

From BBC

There are fears in India that children can be exploited for cheap manual labour or even sex work.

From BBC

Outreach workers say they’ve seen more young people doing street-based sex work in public and have seen an increase in public drug use.

From Seattle Times