porn

noun \ ˈpȯrn \

variants: or less commonly porno play \ˈpȯr-(ˌ)nō\

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of porn

1 informal : pornography

watching porn

—often used before another noun

a porn star

the porn industry

a porno theater

2 porno , plural pornos, informal : a pornographic movie

… the ex-silent starlet whose voice, unfit for sound-film consumption, relegated her to pornos …
—John Simon

See porn defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of porn from the Web

In the new millennium, technology was porn’s undoing.

— susannah breslin, The Atlantic, "Porn’s Uncanny Valley," 1 June 2018
Debating porn’s ills on society seems like a game of choose-your-own-study.

— eli rosenberg, Washington Post, "Pornography is a ‘root cause’ of school shootings, Republican congresswoman says," 29 May 2018
The intimacy involved in porn's workplace means that the line that can't be crossed might seem blurry.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "'We lost 5 women': Porn industry reckons with assault allegations and a string of deaths," 18 Feb. 2018
In the back and forth between client and producers, an intimacy can blossom that erodes the illusion of a barrier between porn’s fantasies and the fears and anxieties of real life.

— laura miller, Slate Magazine, "The End of Pornography," 28 Sep. 2017
That raises the second critical question beyond porn's possible harm to users: the right to privacy of nonusers.

— olivia b. waxman, Time, "The Deuce and the Real History of Why the Porn Industry Flourished in the '70s," 8 Sep. 2017
At that time of his interview, said Investigator Stephen McGlathery, Whitworth admitted to looking at child porn on his phone.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Attalla man accused of having child porn on his cell phone," 4 Jan. 2018
Barring something nefarious like revenge porn, the only obvious reason to keep an ex’s nudes is masturbation inspo, and that crosses a number of boundaries.

— beca grimm, GQ, "Yeah, Keeping Your Exes’ Nude Photos is Creepy," 19 Dec. 2017
Think of the man who can’t stop watching porn, even at work, and gets fired, or who visits prostitutes several times a week and doesn’t use a condom.

— elizabeth bernstein, WSJ, "Think You’re Addicted to Sex? Here Are Treatment Options," 18 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'porn.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of porn

1962

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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