as in prostitute
a woman who engages in sexual activities for money
the protagonist of the novel is a composite of several real-life courtesans who plied their trade among the decadent aristocracy
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Recent Examples of courtesan
Chanel resonated with the story’s heroine, a courtesan who wore a white camellia as a token of availability.
—
Hannah Malach, WWD, 2 Mar. 2025
But the married Mariko calmly insisted the next morning that the dark encounter was actually with a courtesan.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
There have been two earlier biographies of Harriman, neither of them bent on re-envisioning her as a geopolitical player, as Purnell is, but content instead to present her as, well, just that, a courtesan.
—Daphne Merkin, airmail.news, 28 Sep. 2024
The show talks about the love lives and power tussles of the courtesans of Lahore.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for courtesan
Hannah Malach, WWD, 2 Mar. 2025
But the married Mariko calmly insisted the next morning that the dark encounter was actually with a courtesan.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
There have been two earlier biographies of Harriman, neither of them bent on re-envisioning her as a geopolitical player, as Purnell is, but content instead to present her as, well, just that, a courtesan.
—Daphne Merkin, airmail.news, 28 Sep. 2024
The show talks about the love lives and power tussles of the courtesans of Lahore.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for courtesan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courtesan
Noun
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At some point, Perkins reportedly introduced Millard to a Black prostitute but Millard wanted a White one instead, the news report said, citing warrants.—
Louis Casiano,
Fox News,
24 Mar. 2023
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Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, named after Shields’s controversial first film about a young girl who was a child prostitute, features interviews from her childhood friend and actress Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore and how to contrasted with Shields’s experience in the spotlight.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
22 Mar. 2023
Noun
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Strip clubs, booze, hookers, blow, the whole nine yards.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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Strip clubs, booze, hookers, blow, the whole nine yards.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Courtesan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courtesan. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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