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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The following year, he was suspended from baseball and sentenced to probation after pleading no contest to charges of cocaine possession and soliciting a prostitute.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
-
During that time, Wuornos was working as a prostitute to support both herself and her girlfriend, Tyria Moore.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Three other Scottish squad reinforcements -- lock Gregor Brown, hooker Ewan Ashman and prop Rory Sutherland -- were named on the bench.—
Nick Mulvenney,
Reuters,
21 July 2025
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Strip clubs, booze, hookers, blow, the whole nine yards.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawd. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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