whore

1 of 2

noun

plural whores
1
somewhat old-fashioned : a person who engages in sexual intercourse for pay : prostitute
2
offensive : a promiscuous or immoral woman
3
: a male who engages in sexual acts for money
4
: a venal or unscrupulous person

whore

2 of 2

verb

whored; whoring

intransitive verb

1
: to have unlawful sexual intercourse as or with a prostitute
2
: to pursue a faithless, unworthy, or idolatrous desire

transitive verb

obsolete : to corrupt by lewd intercourse : debauch

Examples of whore in a Sentence

Noun For writers, to blurb or not to blurb can be a tricky matter.  … Blurb too often, or include too many blurbs on your book, and you might get called a blurb whore. Rachel Donadio, New York Times Book Review, 17 Aug. 2008
It was only his vain desire to gain the money he needed to purchase the freedom of his beloved Sarah, a whore in a Sturgeon Street brothel, that had led him to offer his sword in the murderous service of Buljan … Michael Chabon, "Gentlemen of the Road," in New York Times Magazine18 Feb. 2007
I know one guy who became a television writer simply because it afforded him the opportunity to write on a cop show and name all the strippers, crack whores, and nude female corpses after his mother. Rob Long, National Review, 19 Feb. 2001
Verb Babe Ruth, who could cuss, guzzle and whore to outdo any sailor of legend, was also the most genial and accommodating of men. Stephen Jay Gould, New York Times Book Review, 7 May 1989

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English hore, from Old English hōre; akin to Old Norse hōra whore, hōrr adulterer, Latin carus dear — more at charity

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1554, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of whore was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near whore

Cite this Entry

“Whore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whore. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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