Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Prostitute
Pros′ti-tute
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Prostituted
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Prostituting
.] [L.
prostitutus
, p. p. of prostituere
to prostitute; pro
before, forth + statuere
to put, place. See Statute
.] 1.
To offer, as a woman, to a lewd use; to give up to lewdness for hire.
“Do not prostitute thy daughter.” Lev. xix. 29.
2.
To devote to base or unworthy purposes; to give up to low or indiscriminate use;
as, to
prostitute
talents; to prostitute
official powers. Milton.
Pros′ti-tute
,Adj.
[L.
prostitutus
, p. p.] Openly given up to lewdness; devoted to base or infamous purposes.
Made bold by want, and
prostitute
for bread. Prior
Pros′ti-tute
,Noun.
[L.
prostituta
.] 1.
A woman giver to indiscriminate lewdness; a strumpet; a harlot.
2.
A base hireling; a mercenary; one who offers himself to infamous employments for hire.
No hireling she, no
prostitute
to praise. Pope.
Webster 1828 Edition
Prostitute
PROS'TITUTE
,Verb.
T.
1.
To offer freely to a lewd use, or to indiscriminate lewdness. Do not prostitute thy daughter. Lev.19.
2.
To give up to any vile or infamous purpose; to devote to any thing base; to sell to wickedness; as, to prostitute talents to the propagation of infidel principles, to prostitute the press to the publication of blasphemy.3.
To offer or expose upon vile terms or to unworthy persons.PROS'TITUTE
,Adj.
Made bold by want and prostitute for bread.
PROS'TITUTE
,Noun.
1.
A base hireling; a mercenary; one who offers himself to infamous employments for hire. No hireling she, no prostitute to praise.
Definition 2024
prostitute
prostitute
See also: prostitutė
English
Noun
prostitute (plural prostitutes)
- A person, especially a woman, who has sexual intercourse or engages in other sexual activity for payment.
- I currently work as a prostitute in order to pay off my university debts.
- A person who is perceived as engaging in sexual activity with many people.
- A person who does, or offers to do, an activity for money, despite personal dislike or dishonour.
Usage notes
- The noun prostitute, in its sexual senses, does not necessarily refer to a woman; nonetheless, it primarily refers to women. Therefore, when the referent is a man, this is frequently made explicit by using the adjective male, even in contexts where the referent's sex is already clear. For example, the phrasing "he became a prostitute" is quite correct, but the phrasing "he became a male prostitute" is just as common, despite its seeming redundancy. However, male prostitute occurs only in the sexual senses, especially the central literal sense of "one who performs sexual activity for payment"; in non-sexual senses, prostitute is gender-neutral.
Synonyms
- whore
- (person who performs sexual activity for payment): See also Wikisaurus:prostitute
- (person perceived as engaging in sexual activity): See also Wikisaurus:promiscuous woman, Wikisaurus:promiscuous man
- (person who does an activity for money): sell out
Translations
a person having sex for profit
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Verb
prostitute (third-person singular simple present prostitutes, present participle prostituting, simple past and past participle prostituted)
- (transitive, usually reflexively) To perform sexual activity for money
- (transitive) To make another person, or organisation, prostitute themselves.
- Bible, Leviticus xix. 29
- Do not prostitute thy daughter.
- Bible, Leviticus xix. 29
- (transitive, derogatory) To use one's talents in return for money or fame
- (figuratively) To exploit for base purposes; to whore.
- Yet again a commercial firm had prostituted a traditional song by setting an advertising jingle to its tune.
Related terms
Translations
to perform sexual activity for money
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to make another person, or organisation, prostitute themselves
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figuratively: to exploit for base purposes
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