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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Example Sentences
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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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Rapp’s 2006 play about two onetime college friends residing in Amsterdam and the French prostitute one gifts to the other was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
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Anderson allegedly acted as a prostitute and administrator who provided support and obtained drugs that Colbert used on her victims, according to the district attorney’s office.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Well, yes, there were also hookers and tequila girls and whatever else was going on in those offices.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Nov. 2025
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Making the cut, however, is not enough for good ratings, and so the Network creates a fake new clickbait backstory for Richards, painting him as a deadbeat dad with a hooker for a wife.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawd. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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