Thesaurus results for PROSTITUTION

prostitution

noun

ˌprä-stə-ˈtü-shən

Definition of prostitution

sometimes offensive

as in vice

the practice of engaging in sexual activities for money prostitution is illegal in most states

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of prostitution After years of bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and racketeering, Capone went down not for murder or mayhem but for failing to pay taxes. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026 The musician is currently serving a four-year sentence after he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in October 2025. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 The 49ers have had their share of suspensions this season with owner Jed York currently serving a league suspension for violating the personal conduct policy after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in Ohio. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 But the network uncovered in the San Fernando Valley suggests another kind of prostitution is thriving behind closed doors. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prostitution

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostitution

harlotry

Noun

In one case, the life of an upper-class woman and contemporary of Julius Caesar, Clodia, saw her reputation destroyed by false claims of harlotry, home-wrecking, and husband-killing.

— Time, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
Within the slippery world of harlotry—where class can be transcended and humanity bought—relationships form that defy our historical assumptions about the bounded categories of human experience.

— Sarah Marshall, New Republic, 2 June 2017

Definition of harlotry

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prostituting

prostitution

prostitutions

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“Prostitution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostitution. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prostitution

noun

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