sex work

noun

: the act or practice of engaging in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sex work was in 1983

Dictionary Entries Near sex work

sexuparous

sex work

sex worker

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Sex work.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sex%20work. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Entry added
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Weird Words for Autumn Time

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
cow coming home
Farm Idioms Quiz If you've got a pig in a poke - what exactly is a...