Synonyms of prostitution

prostitution

noun

ˌprä-stə-ˈtü-shən 

sometimes offensive

as in vice

the practice of engaging in sexual activities for money

prostitution is illegal in most states

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vice
• harlotry
• streetwalking
• demimonde
• sex work

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prostitution

The arrest happened when York allegedly responded to an online prostitution advertisement and upon his arrival at a meeting site that was actually a residential trailer park. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison in October 2025 after being convicted on a pair of charges for transportation for the purpose of prostitution. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026

Sly and his parents lived in a tiny cold water flat in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, at a time when that neighborhood was a breeding ground for gangs and prostitution. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

One of the albums in the pair’s collection is filled with photographs (of extraordinary, poignant provenance) from the nineteen-forties and fifties of women who, as children, had been abducted and forced into prostitution. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026