whore

1 of 2

noun

plural whores
1
somewhat old-fashioned, disparaging + offensive : a person who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : sex worker
2
a
disparaging + offensive : a woman who has multiple sexual partners : a woman who is sexually promiscuous
b
disparaging + offensive
used as a generalized term of abuse for a woman
3
: a mercenary or unscrupulous person : a person who is willing to compromise their integrity or principles for personal gain or in pursuit of something
Others regarded him as a hack—a literary whore. … It wasn't just that he was no longer a literary writer. It was that he was a turncoat, sacrificing his art for the almighty dollar—an awful sin in New York intellectual circles.Neal Gabler
4
: a person who gets an unusual amount of pleasure from or has an unusual amount of interest in something : junkie
an attention whore
publicity whores
Now you can almost build an outfit exclusively out of literary merch. … A $37 off-white sweatshirt from Etsy lets everyone know "I'm in my reading era". Or try the $33 Bonfire T-shirt stamped with the words "book whore".Alaina Demopoulos

whore

2 of 2

verb

whored; whoring; whores

intransitive verb

1
somewhat old-fashioned, disparaging + offensive : to have sexual intercourse as or with a sex worker
2
: to pursue something unworthy, debasing, unseemly, or false
usually used with after
whoring after profits
… go a whoring after their gods …Exodus 34:15 (Authorized Version)
On the other hand, the great depression has not sent them whoring after planned economy.Edgar Ansel Mowrer

Examples of whore in a Sentence

Noun For writers, to blurb or not to blurb can be a tricky matter. … Blurb too often, or include too many blurbs on your book, and you might get called a blurb whore. Rachel Donadio, New York Times Book Review, 17 Aug. 2008

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English hore, from Old English hōre; akin to Old Norse hōra whore, hōrr adulterer, Latin carus dear — more at charity

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1547, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of whore was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near whore

Cite this Entry

“Whore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whore. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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