prostitute

1 of 3

verb

pros·​ti·​tute ˈprä-stə-ˌtüt 

-ˌtyüt

prostituted; prostituting; prostitutes

transitive verb

1

: to offer for sexual intercourse in exchange for pay

prostitute oneself

2

: to devote to corrupt or unworthy purposes : debase

prostitute one's talents

intransitive verb

: to act as a prostitute : to prostitute oneself

When she prostituted, she worked as a call girl …

—Joanne Meyerowitz

prostitutor

ˈprä-stə-ˌtü-tər 

-ˌtyü-

noun

prostitute

2 of 3

adjective

: devoted to corrupt purposes : prostituted

prostitute

3 of 3

noun

plural prostitutes

1

sometimes offensive; see usage paragraph below : a person who engages in sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : sex worker

2

: a person (such as a writer or painter) who deliberately debases his or her talents (as for money)

Usage of Prostitute and Prostitution

The words prostitute and prostitution in their senses relating to sex work are now increasingly rejected as offensive.

"… the word 'prostitute' itself has very much fallen out of favor. Very few people who are engaged in sex work describe themselves as prostitutes outside their own communities, and in some circles the word prostitute is considered a derogatory term. …"

—Melissa Gira Grant, quoted in Vox.com, 11 Aug. 2014

These days Marie prefers to use the term escort when describing what her mother does, and dislikes the word prostitute for its "negative connotations".

—Chloe Morgan, MailOnline, 30 Nov. 2020

"Some sex workers find the term 'prostitute' offensive because of the intense stigma and baggage that goes with it. I feel that for me it's important to take back that name in order to fight the stigma. …"

—unidentified sex worker, quoted in Tucson (Arizona) Weekly, 6 Oct. 2016

Labor member Irene Pnevmatikos told Parliament that the terms "prostitution" and "prostitute" had negative connotations. "Sex worker groups in Australia reject the word prostitute and have done so since the 1970s," Ms Pnevmatikos said.

—Casey Briggs, ABC Premium News (Australia), 20 June 2019

Because of the degrading history of the term "prostitution," I confine my use of the word to two scenarios: when it is used in a direct quotation, and when I am referring to the laws themselves that are so titled.

—Mary Felder, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 1 Jan. 2021

When used in contexts relating to victimization especially of children, the words have also been criticized as mischaracterizing sexual exploitation.

The term "child prostitution" is being removed from official statistics over concerns it is an outdated phrase that encourages "victim-blaming".

—Belfast (Northern Ireland) Telegraph Online, 7 Mar. 2016

I, with the Human Rights Project for Girls, understand it is the media's job to convey a situation or an issue with precision and clarity. "Child prostitute" may seem clear because it conveys the fact that money is exchanged for sex, but it is also misleading because it suggests consent and criminality when none exists.

—Withelma "T" Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, Change.org, 2016

"It comes back to the word prostitute … and it is biasing our laws when the act would be considered statutory rape because it involves a child if no money were exchanged," said Linda Smith, who founded Shared Hope in the late 1990s after serving in the U.S. Congress for Washington state for four years.

—James Pilcher, Chillicothe (Ohio) Gazette, 24 Nov. 2019

Synonyms

Verb

• abase
• bastardize
• canker
• cheapen
• corrupt
• debase
• debauch
• degrade
• demean
• demoralize
• deprave
• deteriorate
• lessen
• pervert
• poison
• profane
• subvert
• vitiate
• warp

Noun

• bawd
• call girl
• cocotte
• courtesan
• drab
• hooker
• hustler
• sex worker
• streetwalker
• tart
• whore

Examples of prostitute in a Sentence

Verb

a writer who prostituted his talents by writing commercials

a serious writer prostituting himself by writing pulp novels for money

Noun

was caught procuring the services of a prostitute

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

DeSantis the governor prostituted the state of Florida to that strategy. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024

Please in future say no when you are asked to prostitute yourself. —Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin prostitutus, past participle of prostituere, from pro- before + statuere to station — more at pro-, statute

First Known Use

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1563, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing prostitute

• prostitute oneself

Kids Definition

prostitute

1 of 2 verb

pros·​ti·​tute ˈpräs-tə-ˌt(y)üt 

prostituted; prostituting

: to put (as one's talents) to unworthy uses : debase

prostitute

2 of 2 noun

sometimes offensive

: a person who engages in sexual activities for money

Legal Definition

prostitute

1 of 2 noun

pros·​ti·​tute

ˈpräs-tə-ˌtüt, -ˌtyüt

: a person who engages in sexual activity indiscriminately especially for money compare panderer, pimp

prostitute

2 of 2 transitive verb

prostituted; prostituting

: to offer as a prostitute

Etymology

Transitive verb

Latin prostitutus, past participle of prostituere, from pro- before + statuere to cause to stand, place