Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense, plural prostitutes, present participle prostituting, past tense, past participle prostituted
1. countable noun
A prostitute is someone who has sex in exchange for money.
He admitted last week he paid for sex with a prostitute.
...male prostitutes.
Synonyms: sex worker, call girl, courtesan [history], hooker [US, slang, derogatory] More Synonyms of prostitute
2. verb
If someone prostitutes another person, or they prostitutethemselves, they have sex or are made to have sex in exchange for money.
...a woman who's forced to prostitute herself in order to get food. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
3. verb
If you prostituteyourself or your talents, you do work for money or to be famous, rather than because you think it is good work or the right thing to do.
[disapproval]
Higher education is being forced to prostitute itself to market forces. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
...haunted by the idea of his friends whispering about his having prostituted histalent. [VERB noun]
More Synonyms of prostitute
prostitute in British English
(ˈprɒstɪˌtjuːt)
noun
1.
a person who engages in sexual activity for money
2.
a person who offers his or her talent or work for unworthy purposes
verb(transitive)
3.
to offer (oneself or another) in sexual activity for money
4.
to offer (a person, esp oneself, or a person's talent) for unworthy purposes
Derived forms
prostitution (ˌprostiˈtution)
noun
prostitutor (ˈprostiˌtutor)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Latin prōstituere to expose to prostitution, from prō- in public + statuere to cause to stand
prostitute in American English
(ˈprɑstəˌtut; ˈprɑstəˌtjut)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈprostiˌtuted or ˈprostiˌtuting
1.
to sell the services of (oneself or another) for purposes of sexual intercourse
2.
to sell (oneself, one's artistic or moral integrity,etc.) for low or unworthy purposes
adjective
3. Rare
given over to base purposes; debased; corrupt
noun
4.
a.
a woman who engages in promiscuous sexual activity for pay; whore; harlot
b.
a man who engages in such activity, esp. homosexual acts, for pay
5.
a person, as a writer, artist, etc., who sells his or her services for low or unworthy purposes
Derived forms
prostitutor (ˈprostiˌtutor)
noun
Word origin
< L prostitutus, pp. of prostituere < pro-, before + statuere, to cause to stand, akin to stare, stand
Synonyms of 'prostitute'
sex worker, whore, call girl, courtesan
cheapen, sell out, pervert, degrade
More Synonyms of prostitute
In other languages
prostitute
British English: prostitute /ˈprɒstɪˌtjuːt/ NOUN
A prostitute is a person who has sex with people in exchange for money.
American English: prostitute
Arabic: عَاهِرَة
Brazilian Portuguese: prostituta
Chinese: 妓女
Croatian: prostitutka
Czech: prostitutka
Danish: prostitueret
Dutch: prostitué
European Spanish: prostituta
Finnish: prostituoitu
French: prostituée
German: Prostituierte
Greek: πόρνη
Italian: prostituta
Japanese: 売春婦
Korean: 매춘부
Norwegian: prostituert
Polish: prostytutka
European Portuguese: prostituta
Romanian: prostituată
Russian: проститутка
Latin American Spanish: prostituto
Swedish: prostituerad
Thai: โสเภณี
Turkish: fahişe
Ukrainian: повія
Vietnamese: gái điếm
Chinese translation of 'prostitute'
prostitute
(ˈprɔstɪtjuːt)
n(c)
(= female) 妓女 (jìnǚ) (个(個), gè)
vt
to prostitute o.s./one's talents (fig) 作践(踐)自己/自己的才华(華) (zuòjiàn zìjǐ/zìjǐ de cáihuá)
a male prostitute男妓 (nánjì)
(noun)
Definition
a person who offers sexual intercourse in return for payment
(derogatory)
Synonyms
sex worker
call girl
courtesan (history)
hooker (US, slang, derogatory)
pro (slang)
working girl (facetious, slang)
camp follower
fille de joie (French)
(verb)
Definition
to offer (oneself or one's talent) for unworthy purposes
His friends said that he had prostituted his talents.
Synonyms
cheapen
Love is a word cheapened by overuse.
sell out
pervert
He was accused of perverting the nation's youth.
degrade
No-one should feel degraded at their place of work.
devalue
squander
demean
All this talk of money just demeans us.
debase
I won't debase myself by answering that question.
profane
They have profaned the traditions of the Church.
misapply
Additional synonyms
in the sense of courtesan
Definition
a mistress or high-class prostitute
Synonyms
mistress,
prostitute,
kept woman,
paramour (old-fashioned),
hetaera,
demimondaine,
fille de joie
in the sense of debase
Definition
to lower in quality, character, or value
I won't debase myself by answering that question.
Synonyms
degrade,
reduce,
lower,
shame,
humble,
disgrace,
humiliate,
demean,
drag down,
dishonour,
cheapen,
abase
in the sense of degrade
Definition
to reduce to dishonour or disgrace
No-one should feel degraded at their place of work.
Synonyms
demean,
disgrace,
humiliate,
injure,
shame,
corrupt,
humble,
discredit,
pervert,
debase,
dishonour,
cheapen
Synonyms of 'prostitute'
prostitute
Explore 'prostitute' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of demean
Definition
to undermine the status or dignity of (someone or something)