brothel

noun

broth·​el ˈbrä-thəl  ˈbrȯ- 

also -t͟həl

plural brothels

: a business establishment where sex workers are available for hire

For recreation, there were bars, after-hours joints, pool halls, strip joints, brothels, and transient motels.

—Darlene Nall

Elizaveta is happy to become the madam of a high-class brothel.

—Jonathan Fast

In the brutal red-light district of Chicago, at the dawn of the 20th century, most brothels emphasized "efficiency instead of fantasy."

—Ada Calhoun

Synonyms of brothel

• bordello
• stew
• crib
• cathouse

Examples of brothel in a Sentence

the district is infamous for its brothels and drug dealers

Recent Examples on the Web

When Charles breaks down inside the brothel, how much of it was about Adam versus Cathy? — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

The devastating climax of the story occurs when Cal Trask (Joseph Zada) takes his idealist twin Aron (Joe Anders) to see their mother’s brothel, driving Aron to join the army and then get killed in WWI. — Max Gao, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026

Cal chooses to lure Aron to Kate’s, chooses to present Aron to his mother in the middle of the crowded brothel, chooses to hurt both of them in this moment. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

In December, Santa Clara County officials charged members of a different family with running a network of 10 brothels in cities that included Cupertino. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, worthless fellow, prostitute, from brothen, past participle of brethen to waste away, go to ruin, from Old English brēothan to waste away; akin to Old English brēotan to break — more at brittle

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined above