1. a woman who engages in sexual activity for payment
Usage: archaic; offensive

Examples

• The medieval morality play featured a character described as a harlot.
• In Shakespeare’s works, the term harlot appears as an insult.
• Historical documents from the 16th century use the word harlot frequently.
• The archaic term harlot is rarely used in modern English.
• Literature students encounter the word harlot in classical texts.