oldest profession

noun

Phrases
the oldest profession or less commonly the oldest profession in the world
humorous
: the occupation of engaging in sex work

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oldest profession was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near oldest profession

Oldenlandia

oldest profession

old ewe disease

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Oldest profession.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oldest%20profession. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Entry added
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Weird Words for Autumn Time

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
spelunker-silhouette
People of Interest Quiz Can you tell the "sommeliers" from the "spelunkers"?