prostitute

noun

/ˈprɒstɪtjuːt/

/ˈprɑːstɪtuːt/

jump to other results

a person who has sex for money
Extra Examples
- men who use prostitutes
- She was arrested and charged with being a common prostitute.
- The prostitutes solicit openly here.
- a book written by a former prostitute
Topics Jobsc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- common
- child
- teenage
- …
verb + prostitute
- be
- work as
- go to
- …
prostitute + verb
- solicit
See full entry
Word Originmid 16th cent. (as a verb): from Latin prostitut- ‘exposed publicly, offered for sale’, from the verb prostituere, from pro- ‘before’ + statuere ‘set up, place’.

prostitute

verb

/ˈprɒstɪtjuːt/

/ˈprɑːstɪtuːt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they prostitute	/ˈprɒstɪtjuːt/ /ˈprɑːstɪtuːt/
he / she / it prostitutes	/ˈprɒstɪtjuːts/ /ˈprɑːstɪtuːts/
past simple prostituted	/ˈprɒstɪtjuːtɪd/ /ˈprɑːstɪtuːtɪd/
past participle prostituted	/ˈprɒstɪtjuːtɪd/ /ˈprɑːstɪtuːtɪd/
-ing form prostituting	/ˈprɒstɪtjuːtɪŋ/ /ˈprɑːstɪtuːtɪŋ/

jump to other results

prostitute something/yourself (disapproving) to use your skills, abilities, etc. to do something that earns you money but that other people do not respect because you are capable of doing something better
- Many felt he was prostituting his talents by writing Hollywood scripts.
prostitute yourself to work as a prostitute

Word Originmid 16th cent. (as a verb): from Latin prostitut- ‘exposed publicly, offered for sale’, from the verb prostituere, from pro- ‘before’ + statuere ‘set up, place’.