brothel

noun

broth·​el ˈbrä-thəl  ˈbrȯ- 

 also  -t͟həl

plural brothels

: a business establishment where sex workers are available for hire

For recreation, there were bars, after-hours joints, pool halls, strip joints, brothels, and transient motels.

—Darlene Nall

Elizaveta is happy to become the madam of a high-class brothel.

—Jonathan Fast

In the brutal red-light district of Chicago, at the dawn of the 20th century, most brothels emphasized "efficiency instead of fantasy."

—Ada Calhoun

Synonyms

• bordello
• stew
• crib
• cathouse

Examples of brothel in a Sentence

the district is infamous for its brothels and drug dealers

Recent Examples on the Web

Lucky for Luiz, the Gilpin County mountain town of Central City is ripe for brothel breakthroughs. —Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 June 2025

Most people think a brothel manager just sits in some seedy basement office counting money in low lighting. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025

In it, Cruise plays a high-school student who turns his house into a brothel while his parents are out of town. —Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 24 May 2025

Janine is spared at the brothel, but may suffer a worse fate as Bell's new handmaid. —Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, worthless fellow, prostitute, from brothen, past participle of brethen to waste away, go to ruin, from Old English brēothan to waste away; akin to Old English brēotan to break — more at brittle

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined above