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 of brothel

• 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

Most striking among them is the eldest son, dressed in a long velvet frock coat and a battered pair of brothel creepers. —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025

The investigation revealed the size of the operation, which included a brothel in Hayward. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

The combination theater, saloon, gambling hall and brothel hosted world-famous entertainers upstairs and the longest running poker game in history downstairs. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025

Of the girls in that cohort, many were sold to brothels in Asia; others were shipped to pimps in Europe or married off to pedophiles abroad. —Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 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