Skip to main content
prostitution

prostitution

134 5.1
An activity in which someone has sex with another person for money
  • noun
  • /ˌprɒs.tɪˈtjuː.ʃən/
  • NSFW
translation icon : prostitución
  • She had been arrested numerous times for prostitution and and other illegal activities.
  • engage in prostitution
  • illegal prostitution
  • legalize prostitution

And this is not prostitution because it's like dating.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • I think I'm OK with prostitution being legal.

  • In short, sexual orientation, drug use, and prostitution are again useful risk variables.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Um, you were brought in from the district that has a high level of prostitution.

  • The results presented below, however, focus primarily on drug use and prostitution as AIDS "risk factors."

    Academic text (1990)
  • Oh, I didn't know that prostitution was legal here.

  • That's where all the prostitution takes place.

  • Similarly, even in cities with zones, prostitution may be found elsewhere in the urban region.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The spatial distribution of prostitution in the Mexican border cities has evolved over time.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Farther along the shore, residents often associate Post 4 with prostitution due to the nearby nightclubs.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Many activists believe that legalizing prostitution can lead to better health and safety for workers in the industry.

Synonyms

whoredom
vsprostitution
  • NSFW
2 9.9

The practice of having sex for money

is the standard term that names the same paid sexual practice
harlotry
vsprostitution
  • Offensive
1 9.8

An act of having sex for money

is the basic definition focusing on sex exchanged for money
world's oldest profession
vsprostitution
  • NSFW
1 8.3

A joking name for selling sex for money

is the plain, literal description of exchanging sex for money

Compounds

A building where people pay for sex

How Sexual

prostitution
  • NSFW
134 5.1
fetishization
  • Offensive
9.9
sexualization
  • NSFW
3 7.9
suggestive
  • Offensive
9 6.0

Surface Forms

prostitution singular
prostitutions plural

Morphology

prostitution = prostitute (transparent) = prostitute + ion

Standard nominalization of the verb 'prostitute' with '-ion' yielding 'the practice or state of prostituting', which learners can infer from the base verb.

Etymology

The word prostitution comes from the Latin prostituere, made of pro- 'forward' and a part meaning 'to set up'. So it originally meant 'to put someone forward' or 'expose for sale', which explains why today it means offering sexual services for payment.