brothel

noun

broth·​el ˈbrä-thəl  ˈbrȯ- 

 also  -t͟həl

plural brothels

: a business establishment where sex workers are available for hire

For recreation, there were bars, after-hours joints, pool halls, strip joints, brothels, and transient motels.

—Darlene Nall

Elizaveta is happy to become the madam of a high-class brothel.

—Jonathan Fast

In the brutal red-light district of Chicago, at the dawn of the 20th century, most brothels emphasized "efficiency instead of fantasy."

—Ada Calhoun

Synonyms

• bagnio
• bawdy house
• bordello
• cathouse
• disorderly house
• sporting house
• stew
• whorehouse

Examples of brothel in a Sentence

the district is infamous for its brothels and drug dealers

Recent Examples on the Web

And then the scene in the brothel with the piano, that was the first instance of being alone with László and having a more intimate moment with him. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2025

That October, Lamar was rushed to the hospital after his years-long battle with drug addiction came to a head when he was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel. —Charna Flam, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025

The talk show host, knowing the film was an autobiography, asked Pryor what being raised in a brothel was like. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025

The book also includes a 1971 series shot at the Mustang Ranch, Nevada’s first legal brothel, that lingers on the touching backstage details of the young women’s lives: the coffee station, the little inspirational posters on their walls. —Curbed Editors, Curbed, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, worthless fellow, prostitute, from brothen, past participle of brethen to waste away, go to ruin, from Old English brēothan to waste away; akin to Old English brēotan to break — more at brittle

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined above