brothel

noun

ˈbrä-thəl How to pronounce brothel (audio)
Definition of brothelnext
as in bordello
a building in which prostitutes are available the district is infamous for its brothels and drug dealers

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 brothel Kono’s statement acknowledging military coercion of women into front-line brothels paved the way for broader wartime remorse in 1995 and reshaped Japan’s relations with Asian neighbors. — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026 Petal is a teenager, sold into prostitution in a Los Angeles brothel after she was shipped across the Pacific to San Francisco. — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 Polly Adler has worked long and hard to build up her high-class brothel business. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 9 June 2026 We’re left with Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) all alone in her modern-day brothel — a dollhouse filled with shiny things and zero substance — and Lexi (Maude Apatow) once again taking the moral high ground without fully grasping why. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for brothel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brothel
  1. bordello
  2. stew
  3. crib
  4. cathouse
Noun
  • The Mint was at one time a bordello with six rooms upstairs, according to co-owner Tom Ricci, who purchased the business in 1984.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 July 2026
  • Houses could be rented for $15 a week and converted into bars, bordellos and gambling dens, with liquor licenses and health certificates optional.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of bordello
Noun
  • She’s used to chief stews who yell and is thrown off by Aesha’s politeness.
    — Emma Soren, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Within the microbial stew of a farm environment, his team’s study identified nine gram-positive environmental bacterial genera.
    — Baltimore Sun, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of stew
Noun
  • When authorities arrived at the Aisenberg house and began their investigation, deputies found a boot print in Sabrina's room and a blonde hair in her crib that didn't belong to anyone in the family.
    — Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Budget Baby Boost crib bumpers were sold on TikTok Shop from March to July for about $16.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of crib
Noun
  • The cathouse madam Billie (played with authority and delight by Kate Shindle) has more to do than before.
    — ALEXIS SOLOSKI, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2018
Definition of cathouse

Browse Nearby Words

broomsticks
brothel
brothels
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brothel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brothel. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on brothel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about brothel

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