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 only things shaky about Relish are the junkies, prostitutes, suicidal depressives, and sinners who populate Osborne's songs.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Serial killer Lorenzo Jerome Gilyard was convicted in 2007 for killing six women in Kansas City but is believed to have raped and strangled two girls and 11 women, most of whom had worked as prostitutes, from 1977 to 1993.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
7 Aug. 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 10 Sep. 2025.
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