noun
brothel
BRO-thuhl
noun
1
A house where people pay for sex with prostitutes.
"The police raided an illegal brothel in the city centre."
How to Use Brothel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA building where sex is sold as a business.
When to use it
A blunt, clinical term — mostly used in news, legal, or historical contexts rather than casual conversation.
Word Forms
brothels plural, brothels plural
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The police raided an illegal _____ in the city centre.
Etymology
Originally "brothel-house", combining an old word for a disreputable person with "house" — the sense narrowed over time to mean specifically a house of prostitution.