whore
1 Americannoun
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a person who engages in sex acts for money; prostitute.
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Disparaging and Offensive. a person who is sexually promiscuous.
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a person who sacrifices personal principles or uses someone or something in a base or unworthy manner, usually for money.
a greedy publicity whore.
verb (used without object)
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to act as a whore.
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to consort with whores.
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to seek after something that is base or unworthy.
those who practice idolatry and whore after other gods.
verb (used with object)
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to put to a base or unworthy use (sometimes followed byout ).
He’s whoring out his skills by writing for popular magazines.
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Obsolete. to make a whore of; corrupt; debauch.
noun
verb
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to be or act as a prostitute
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(of a man) to have promiscuous sexual relations, esp with prostitutes
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(often foll by after) to seek that which is immoral, idolatrous, etc
Usage
See contraction.
Other Word Forms
- whorish adjective
- whorishly adverb
- whorishness noun
Etymology
Origin of whore
First recorded before 1100; Middle English, Old English hōre; cognate with German Hure, Old Norse hōra; akin to Gothic hors “harlot,” Latin cārus “beloved; expensive”
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.
Italian actress and filmmaker Asia Argento writes in an essay that she has been called a whore, liar, traitor, opportunist and more since accusing Weinstein last year of sexually assaulting her in 1997.
From Washington Times • Apr. 11, 2018
I was called a liar and a fame whore, despite the evidence I had and the fact that I never sought fame — I had turned over those texts with the promise of anonymity.
From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2018
About substance, I aim to be as honest as possible; about delivery I aim to be a media whore.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2017
Academics may pounce on Brenton's play, but it eschews mock-Tudor costume drama to offer a compelling portrait of a woman contentiously described by James I as "the whore who changed England".
From The Guardian • Jul. 29, 2010
“Family! They’re the ones whore always gonna be there for you. You don’t ignore the family. They show their love. You take their love. You feel better. Capisce?”
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
