• Whore

    Pronunciation

    • UK enPR: hô, IPA: /hɔː(ɹ)/
    • US enPR: hōr, IPA: /hoʊɹ/, /hɔɹ/, /hʊɹ/

    Origin

    From Old English hōre, from Proto-Germanic *hōrǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *kāro- ("dear"); cognate with Old Norse hóra ("whore"), hórr ("adulterer"), German Hure ("whore"), Middle High German huore, Old High German huora, Dutch hoer. Non-Germanic cognates include Latin cārus ("dear"), Albanian koj ("to feed, lure, bribe") and Sanskrit काम (kāma, "love").

    Full definition of whore

    Noun

    whore

    (plural whores)
    1. (vulgar) A prostitute.
    2. (vulgar, pejorative) A person who is considered to be sexually promiscuous (see also: slut).
      • 2004, Dennis Cooper, The Sluts, page 250So after he fucks the shit out of me, he tells me I'm lying about his whore not being Brad.
    3. (vulgar) A person who is unscrupulous, especially one who compromises their principles for gain.
    4. (vulgar) A person who will violate behavioral standards to achieve something desired.
      • 1982, Daniel Hoffman, Vidal is at once more detached and more preoccupied with his own view, celebrating an aristocracy of sensibility constantly thwarted and ignored by those mere whores after fame, the statesmen and politicians.
      • 1990, June, By that time, Tejeda had already been accused of beating his wife, abandoning his children, living in sin with another woman, being a whore for the insurance lobby, and accepting bribes.
      • 1997, John Irving, A Son of the Circus, a shameless hack—such a whore for the money—that he wouldn't even lend his name to his creations.
      • 1999, October, I don't want to be a media whore," says Babydol. "I don't need to 'sell' my record — it will sell because it's good or won't if it's not
    5. (vulgar) A contemptible person.
      • 1999, August, Rod Garcia y Robertson, Strongbow, "Begone," Clare shouted. She could not bring herself to kill in cold blood. "Begone, or I'll shoot." # "Idiot whore," he shouted back. "You would not dare."
      • 2000, Spring, Pete Hamill, The Fenian Ram, I don't need that Lamont Cranston to tell me. Every Irishman knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. We've known since the time of that rotten ould whore, Elizabeth the Bloody First!
      • 2003, Helen Kirkman, A moment's madness, Saxon curses rang in her ears. Dane, they yelled, Viking whore. We will have revenge on you.

    Derived terms

    Synonyms

    Verb

    1. (intransitive, vulgar) To prostitute oneself.
    2. (intransitive, vulgar) To engage the services of a prostitute.
    3. (transitive, vulgar) To pimp; to pander.
    4. (intransitive, vulgar) To pursue false gods.
    5. (intransitive, vulgar) To pursue false goals.
      • 1856, Matthew Henry, An exposition of the Old and New Testament, As for those whose hearts go a whoring after the world, and who set their affections on the things of the earth, they cannot love his appearing
      • 1967, Hawaiian Historical Society, Whoring after fame, rushing into print, "scoring a scoop,"— alas! some scientists are too human.
      • 1973, Herbert Tarr, A time for loving, "That Jereboam. He whores after power." "And you, my son, lust more decorously?"
      • 1976, Matthew Fox, Whee! We, wee, all the way home, Is there any distinction between a nation that whores after a golden calf and one that whores after a black Cadillac?
      • 1978, w, The good word & other words, If he whores after the new thing, he will only get it wrong and wind up praising the latest charlatans, the floozies of the New.
      • 2010, December 28, Mordechai Beck, Set apart, For them, God is still in heaven, and we his sinful children are still whoring after the twin idols of modernity and materialism.

    Anagrams

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