noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˌprɒstɪˈt͡ʃuːʃn/
/prɒstɪˈtjuːʃn/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -uːʃən
CMU ARPABET:P R AA2 S T AH0 T UW1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Engaging in sexual activity with another person for pay.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
His addiction brought him to the point that prostitution was the only means he had to survive.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Engaging in sexual activity with another person in exchange for goods (not necessarily money) or services.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Debasement for profit or impure motives.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, uncountable, usually
Examples
The television advertising job was a prostitution of the talents of one of the great writers of the century.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
offering sexual intercourse for pay
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: harlotry, whoredom
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: vice crime
History
Etymology
From Late Latin prostitutio. Equivalent to prostitute + -ion.
Across languages
Translations
82 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
prostitusie
— having sex for profit
Albanian:
prostitucion
— having sex for profit
Arabic:
بِغَاءٌ
(biḡāʔun)
— having sex for profit
Arabic:
دَعَارَة
(daʕāra)
— having sex for profit
Armenian:
պոռնկություն
(poṙnkutʻyun)
— having sex for profit
Armenian:
մարմնավաճառություն
(marmnavačaṙutʻyun)
— having sex for profit
Azerbaijani:
fahişəlik
— having sex for profit
Basque:
prostituzio
— having sex for profit
Belarusian:
прастыту́цыя
(prastytúcyja)
— having sex for profit
Bulgarian:
проститу́ция
(prostitúcija)
— having sex for profit
Catalan:
prostitució
— having sex for profit
Chinese Mandarin:
賣淫 /卖淫
(màiyín)
— having sex for profit
Chinese Mandarin:
賣春 /卖春
(màichūn)
— having sex for profit
Czech:
prostituce
— having sex for profit
Danish:
prostitution
— having sex for profit
Dutch:
prostitutie
— having sex for profit
Esperanto:
prostituo
— having sex for profit
Esperanto:
prostituado
— having sex for profit
Estonian:
prostitutsioon
— having sex for profit
Ewe:
ahasiwɔwɔ
— having sex for profit
Faroese:
skøkjulevnaður
— having sex for profit
Finnish:
prostituutio
— having sex for profit
French:
prostitution
— having sex for profit
Galician:
prostitución
— having sex for profit
Georgian:
პროსტიტუცია
(ṗrosṭiṭucia)
— having sex for profit
Georgian:
მეძაობა
(meʒaoba)
— having sex for profit
Georgian:
როსკიპობა
(rosḳiṗoba)
— having sex for profit
German:
Prostitution
— having sex for profit
Greek:
πορνεία
(porneía)
— having sex for profit
Ancient Greek:
πορνεία
(porneía)
— having sex for profit
Hebrew:
זנות
(znut)
— having sex for profit
Hindi:
वेश्यावृत्ति
(veśyāvŕtti)
— having sex for profit
Hungarian:
prostitúció
— having sex for profit
Indonesian:
prostitusi
— having sex for profit
Ingrian:
nussutöö
— having sex for profit
Italian:
prostituzione
— having sex for profit
Japanese:
淫売
(inbai)
— having sex for profit
Japanese:
売春
(baishun)
— having sex for profit
Japanese:
買春
— having sex for profit
Japanese:
切り売り主義
(kiriurishugi)
— having sex for profit
Kalmyk:
яңхллт
(yañxllt)
— having sex for profit
Korean:
성매매
(seongmaemae)
— having sex for profit
Korean:
매춘
(maechun)
— having sex for profit
Kyrgyz:
жалаптык
(jalaptık)
— having sex for profit
Latin:
prostitutio
— having sex for profit
Macedonian:
проститу́ција
(prostitúcija)
— having sex for profit
Macedonian:
ку́рварлак
(kúrvarlak)
— having sex for profit
Malayalam:
വേശ്യാവൃത്തി
(vēśyāvr̥tti)
— having sex for profit
Māori:
kairautanga
— having sex for profit
Norwegian Bokmål:
prostitusjon
— having sex for profit
Norwegian Nynorsk:
prostitusjon
— having sex for profit
Occitan:
prostitucion
— having sex for profit
Persian:
روسپیگری
(ruspi-gari)
— having sex for profit
Persian:
تنفروشی
(tan-foruši)
— having sex for profit
Piedmontese:
prostitussion
— having sex for profit
Plautdietsch:
Huararie
— having sex for profit
Polish:
prostytucja
— having sex for profit
Portuguese:
prostituição
— having sex for profit
Romanian:
prostituție
— having sex for profit
Russian:
проститу́ция
(prostitúcija)
— having sex for profit
Scottish Gaelic:
strìopachas
— having sex for profit
Scottish Gaelic:
siùrsachd
— having sex for profit
Serbo-Croatian:
проститу́ција
— having sex for profit
Serbo-Croatian:
prostitúcija
— having sex for profit
Slovak:
prostitúcia
— having sex for profit
Slovene:
prostitúcija
— having sex for profit
Spanish:
prostitución
— having sex for profit
Swahili:
umalaya
— having sex for profit
Swahili:
ukahaba
— having sex for profit
Swedish:
prostitution
— having sex for profit
Telugu:
వ్యభిచారం
(vyabhicāraṁ)
— having sex for profit
Thai:
การค้าประเวณี
(gaan-káa-bprà-wee-nii)
— having sex for profit
Turkish:
fahişelik
— having sex for profit
Ukrainian:
проститу́ція
(prostytúcija)
— having sex for profit
Urdu:
کَسَب
(kasab)
— having sex for profit
Urdu:
پیشَہ
(peśa)
— having sex for profit
Urdu:
فاحِشْگی
(fāhiśgī)
— having sex for profit
Urdu:
قَحبَہ گِرِی
(qahba girī)
— having sex for profit
Urdu:
جِسْم فَروشی
(jism farośī)
— having sex for profit
