noun
verb
Freq #5290
Meanings
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1
noun
a person who engages in sexual activity in exchange for payment
The outreach program provides legal and medical support to prostitutes and other sex workers.
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2
verb
to use one's abilities, principles, or reputation for an unworthy purpose, especially for money
Critics accused the artist of prostituting his talent for commercial success.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Word family
Etymology
From Latin prostitutus, the past participle of prostituere ("to expose publicly; offer for sale"), formed from pro- ("before, in front of") + statuere ("to set, place").