as in prostitute
a woman who engages in sexual activities for money
in the 17th century the port was a notorious hangout for Caribbean pirates and their bawds
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Recent Examples of bawd
Lewd women, bawds and adventuresses were not welcome in courts, nor were prostitutes or immoral characters.
—
Clement Knox,
Time,
4 Feb. 2020
Two rival madams—based on real historical characters—are fighting each other for a customer base: earthy bawd Mrs. Margaret Wells and elegant, conniving Mrs. Lydia Quigley.
—
Viv Groskop,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2017
Clement Knox,
Time,
4 Feb. 2020
Two rival madams—based on real historical characters—are fighting each other for a customer base: earthy bawd Mrs. Margaret Wells and elegant, conniving Mrs. Lydia Quigley.
—
Viv Groskop,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawd
Noun
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Pol learns the ropes alongside fellow stripper Noel (Daniel Fernando) and savvy prostitute Bambi (Jaclyn Jose), discovering an underbelly of protection rackets, human trafficking and rampant political corruption.
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Under colonial rule hijras were accused of acting as male prostitutes and of kidnapping and castrating children to grow their community.
Noun
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This kind of inclusivity would explain Glenn Close‘s appearance — as a visiting literary scholar — at just the right moment, as well as Penélope Cruz’s showstopping cameo as Nené, a singer-slash-hooker who schools Sebastián on the then-nascent form of the modern transgender movement.
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Bemis, sold by her family in China and sent to America, worked as a domestic, not as a hooker.
Cite this Entry
“Bawd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawd. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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