pros·ti·tute
ˈprä-stə-ˌtüt 
-ˌtyüt
plural prostitutes
1
sometimes offensive; see usage paragraph below
: a person who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : sex worker
2
: a person (such as a writer or painter) who deliberately debases their talents (as for money)
Usage of Prostitute and Prostitution
The words prostitute and prostitution in their senses relating to sex work are now increasingly rejected as offensive.
"… the word 'prostitute' itself has very much fallen out of favor. Very few people who are engaged in sex work describe themselves as prostitutes outside their own communities, and in some circles the word prostitute is considered a derogatory term. …"
—
Melissa Gira Grant, quoted at Vox.com, 11 Aug. 2014
Melissa Gira Grant, quoted at Vox.com, 11 Aug. 2014
These days Marie prefers to use the term escort when describing what her mother does, and dislikes the word prostitute for its "negative connotations".
—Chloe Morgan, MailOnline, 30 Nov. 2020
Chloe Morgan, MailOnline, 30 Nov. 2020
"Some sex workers find the term 'prostitute' offensive because of the intense stigma and baggage that goes with it. I feel that for me it's important to take back that name in order to fight the stigma. …"
—unidentified sex worker, quoted in Tucson (Arizona) Weekly, 6 Oct. 2016
unidentified sex worker, quoted in Tucson (Arizona) Weekly, 6 Oct. 2016
Labor member Irene Pnevmatikos told Parliament that the terms "prostitution" and "prostitute" had negative connotations. "Sex worker groups in Australia reject the word prostitute and have done so since the 1970s," Ms Pnevmatikos said.
—Casey Briggs, ABC Premium News (Australia), 20 June 2019
Casey Briggs, ABC Premium News (Australia), 20 June 2019
Because of the degrading history of the term "prostitution," I confine my use of the word to two scenarios: when it is used in a direct quotation, and when I am referring to the laws themselves that are so titled.
—Mary Felder, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 1 Jan. 2021
Mary Felder, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 1 Jan. 2021
When used in contexts relating to victimization especially of children, the words have also been criticized as mischaracterizing sexual exploitation.
The term "child prostitution" is being removed from official statistics over concerns it is an outdated phrase that encourages "victim-blaming".
—Belfast (Northern Ireland) Telegraph Online, 7 Mar. 2016
Belfast (Northern Ireland) Telegraph Online, 7 Mar. 2016
I, with the Human Rights Project for Girls, understand it is the media's job to convey a situation or an issue with precision and clarity. "Child prostitute" may seem clear because it conveys the fact that money is exchanged for sex, but it is also misleading because it suggests consent and criminality when none exists.
—Withelma "T" Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, Change.org, 2016
Withelma "T" Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, Change.org, 2016
"It comes back to the word prostitute … and it is biasing our laws when the act would be considered statutory rape because it involves a child if no money were exchanged," said Linda Smith, who founded Shared Hope in the late 1990s after serving in the U.S. Congress for Washington state for four years.
—James Pilcher, Chillicothe (Ohio) Gazette, 24 Nov. 2019
James Pilcher, Chillicothe (Ohio) Gazette, 24 Nov. 2019
prostituted; prostituting; prostitutes
1
sometimes offensive
: to offer (someone) for sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay
—often used in the phrase to prostitute oneself
2
: to devote to corrupt or unworthy purposes : debase
prostitute one's talents
—often used in the phrase to prostitute oneselfa playwright who prostituted himself by writing commercials
Never mind the knowing smirks about how candidates have always prostituted themselves to special interests …—Andrew Coyne
Andrew Coyne
sometimes offensive
: to act as a sex worker : to offer oneself for sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay
When she prostituted, she worked as a call girl …—Joanne Meyerowitz
see usage paragraph at prostitute entry 1
Joanne Meyerowitz
archaic
: devoted to corrupt purposes
Examples of prostitute in a Sentence
Verb
a writer who prostituted his talents by writing commercials
a serious writer prostituting himself by writing pulp novels for money
Recent Examples on the Web
Louis Casiano, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2023
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, named after Shields’s controversial first film about a young girl who was a child prostitute, features interviews from her childhood friend and actress Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore and how to contrasted with Shields’s experience in the spotlight.
—Vulture, 22 Mar. 2023
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 30 July 2024
Former members also said that the organization promoted prostitution, the depositions show, though none said they had been prostituted themselves.
—Ana Lankes, New York Times, 8 June 2024
Michael Nied, People.com, 11 Apr. 2025
His work in the play, as a male prostitute drug dealer, earned him his first agent and on-camera work.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prostitute
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
At some point, Perkins reportedly introduced Millard to a Black prostitute but Millard wanted a White one instead, the news report said, citing warrants.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2023
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, named after Shields’s controversial first film about a young girl who was a child prostitute, features interviews from her childhood friend and actress Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore and how to contrasted with Shields’s experience in the spotlight.
—Vulture, 22 Mar. 2023
Verb
Best friends, transgender women, and prostitutes Sin-Dee and Alexandra (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor) catch up at a Los Angeles doughnut joint on Christmas Day.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 30 July 2024
Former members also said that the organization promoted prostitution, the depositions show, though none said they had been prostituted themselves.
—Ana Lankes, New York Times, 8 June 2024
Adjective
His work in the play, as a male prostitute drug dealer, famously earned him his first agent and on-camera work.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 11 Apr. 2025
His work in the play, as a male prostitute drug dealer, earned him his first agent and on-camera work.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prostitute
Cite this Entry
“Prostitute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prostitute. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prostitute
1 of 2 verb
pros·ti·tute
ˈpräs-tə-ˌt(y)üt
prostituted; prostituting
: to put (as one's talents) to unworthy uses : debase
prostitute
2 of 2 noun
: a person who engages in sexual activities for money
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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