house of ill repute

noun

1. a house of prostitution; whorehouse; brothel.

house of ill repute

noun

1. a euphemistic name for brothel

Word History and Origins

Origin of house of ill repute¹

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Open-city proponent, former city councilman, lawyer noted for defending houses of ill repute, casually smoked a corncob pipe.

From Seattle Times

Company members lived in what’s commonly believed to be a former house of ill repute, sharing the building with the painter Stephen Quiller’s gallery in the early 1970s.

From New York Times

In the 1950s, teenagers drove Fords and Chevrolets back and forth over the same flat road through downtown and the historic Delano District, where outlaws and houses of ill repute once raised hell.

From New York Times

“I’m the only person I know who can be successfully terminated from a house of ill repute.”

From Washington Times

As Grandpa expected and intended, they took it like he was making fun of religion, or like he was asking folks to come to a house of ill repute and call it church.

From Literature