prostitute
Americannoun
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a person who engages in sexual intercourse or other sex acts for money; sex worker.
- Synonyms:
- strumpet, trollop, courtesan, streetwalker, call girl
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a person who willingly uses their talent or ability in a base and unworthy way, usually for money.
verb (used with object)
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to sell or offer (oneself) to provide sex acts for money.
-
to put to any base or unworthy use.
to prostitute one's talents.
noun
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a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money
-
a man who engages in such activity, esp in homosexual practices
-
a person who offers his talent or work for unworthy purposes
verb
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to offer (oneself or another) in sexual intercourse for money
-
to offer (a person, esp oneself, or a person's talent) for unworthy purposes
Other Word Forms
- prostitution noun
- prostitutor noun
- unprostituted adjective
Etymology
Origin of prostitute
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin prōstitūta and prōstitūtus, noun uses of feminine and masculine forms of prōstitūtus, past participle of prōstituere “to place before, expose (for sale),” equivalent to prō- “before” + -stitū-, combining form of statuere “to make stand” + -tus past participle suffix; pro- 1, status
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The authors were radical women from various backgrounds—one was an impoverished widow and another a onetime prostitute, while a third had been a princess who chopped off her hair moments before her wedding.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
He was the son of a prostitute, who died when he was 5, and was raised by an aunt in Jacarezinho, a favela in the city.
From New York Times • May 10, 2023
A skeleton covered in red ochre, which is naturally occurring iron oxide, Prof Buckland presumed The Red "Lady" to be a Roman prostitute, or witch.
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2023
What exactly made him cut off part of his ear and give it to a prostitute in Arles, in the south of France?
From Washington Post • Jul. 14, 2022
She was also an advocate for “free love,” a blackmailer, an accused bigamist, possibly a prostitute, and a spiritualist who claimed she channeled the spirit of Demosthenes, a statesman from ancient Greece.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
