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

The graffiti also alleged that one of the seven houses that was sprayed with paint was a brothel. —Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026

The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, directed Ryan Duffy and released last month, chronicles Odom’s 2015 scare when he was found unresponsive at the Love Ranch brothel located outside Las Vegas. —Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026

The payday is split between $29,509 in a bank account linked to the brothel and cash that came from a BMW, according to court records. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026

That pivotal act of resistance and the entire existence of the brothel have not been discussed or remembered before my book. —Chad S.a. Gibbs, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026

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