bawdy house

Definition of bawdy housenext
as in brothel
a building in which prostitutes are available a frontier mining town that had few diversions other than the local bawdy house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bawdy house She was convicted of prostitution and keeping a bawdy house, according to the DHS. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026 All of the women working in the bawdy houses are modest and never look lascivious because, Lord knows, that would be horrific. — Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2025 The city has sued a handful of property owners seeking to label their properties as public nuisances under the state's bawdy house statute. — Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2019 There was probably at least one bawdy house, but it isn’t mentioned. — Arthur Hart, idahostatesman, 7 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawdy house
brothel
Noun
  • In December, Santa Clara County officials charged members of a different family with running a network of 10 brothels in cities that included Cupertino.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In the movie, a local brothel — the Devil’s Playhouse — becomes the target of a TV preacher, forcing the town’s sheriff, who happens to be a frequent customer, to save it.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bawdy house.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawdy%20house. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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