whore

1 of 2

noun

ˈhȯr  ˈhu̇r 

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

transitive verb

obsolete : debauch entry 1 sense 2a

Synonyms

Noun

• bawd
• call girl
• cocotte
• courtesan
• drab
• hooker
• hustler
• prostitute
• sex worker
• streetwalker
• tart

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