sex worker

IPA/ˈseks wɜːkə(r)/
IPA/ˈseks wɜːrkər/

sex worker — noun

1. a person whose job is to have sex with paying clients

1.nounB2
Definition

a person whose job is to have sex with paying clients

Example

Talia worked as a sex worker in Berlin before going back to university.

pattern: work as + [profession]

The charity provides free health checks for sex workers in the city centre.

collocation: sex workers + healthcare context

Common collocations
  • sex worker advocacy
  • decriminalize sex work
  • support sex workers
  • sex worker-led organization
Synonyms
  • prostitute

    older term, often considered stigmatizing or legalistic

  • escort

    euphemistic, often implies higher fees and a more formal arrangement

  • call girl

    female only, informal; implies appointments by phone rather than street work

Usage Note

Preferred term in journalism, law, and public health over older labels like 'prostitute,' which carry stigma. Emphasizes the work aspect rather than moral judgment.

Common Mistakes

She is a sex worker but she doesn't have sex for money.
She works in the sex industry but not as a sex worker.
'sex worker' means someone who provides sexual services directly, not all jobs in the industry.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Sex worker is the neutral, contemporary term used in journalism, law, and social policy. Prostitute is older and legalistic; it appears in criminal codes and carries strong stigma — many people in the trade reject it. Escort is a euphemism that suggests a higher-paying, appointment-based arrangement, often with an agency; it downplays the sexual nature of the work in public settings. Call girl is informal, female-only, and refers specifically to a worker who arranges meetings by phone rather than walking the street. In advocacy and human-rights contexts, sex worker is always preferred. For example: 'The charity supports sex workers in the city' (neutral, professional tone) versus 'Police arrested three prostitutes last night' (legalistic, stigmatizing).

prostitute ↗escort ↗call girl

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sex worker rights
  • sex worker community

Phrases

  • work as a sex worker

Prepositions

  • sex worker in
  • sex worker at

Etymology

English

Coined in the late 1970s by American activist Carol Leigh as a deliberate alternative to stigmatized terms like 'prostitute.' The word combines sex (from Latin sexus) with worker (from Old English weorc). It frames selling sexual services as a form of labor, not a moral failing, and became the standard term in journalism, public health, and human-rights advocacy by the 1990s.

First known use

1971

1971, in the meaning defined above