brothel

noun

broth·​el ˈbrä-thəl How to pronounce brothel (audio) ˈbrȯ- How to pronounce brothel (audio)
 also  -t͟həl
plural brothels
: a building in which prostitutes are available
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

Examples of brothel in a Sentence

the district is infamous for its brothels and drug dealers
Recent Examples on the Web In Meiji-era Japan, a 15-year-old girl is sold to an exclusive brothel far from her home. Jenny Comita, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 So did human traffickers accompanying flashily dressed prostitutes to brothels set up for overseers of the marijuana farms. Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024 The woman Britt referenced testified before Congress about being forced to work in Mexican brothels from 2004 to 2008, when George W. Bush was in the White House and Biden was still a senator. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 Additionally, the other girls in the Paris brothel wore nipple prosthetics, and Kathryn Hunter’s character, Swiney, the brothel madam, was covered in full-body tattoos. Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2024 And Shona [Heath] and James [Price], our production designers, had used those in Madame Swiney’s brothel. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Curious, childlike and not understanding the mores of society, Bella goes on a journey of self-discovery that includes running off with unscrupulous lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), encountering poverty for the first time and working in a brothel. Jenelle Riley, Variety, 20 Feb. 2024 In Lady Sings the Blues, an epiphany occurs in the lush domestic interior of a local brothel. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Six New York City massage parlors that authorities suspect were operating as brothels were shut down Thursday during a raid by the New York City Police Department in Queens, the city's Mayor Eric Adams announced on social media. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brothel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of brothel was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near brothel

Cite this Entry

“Brothel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brothel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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