working girl

See synonyms for working girl on Thesaurus.com

noun

Older Use: Often Offensive. a woman who works.
Slang. a prostitute.

Origin of working girl

First recorded in 1860–65 for def. 1; 1965–70 for def. 2

usage note For working girl

The meaning “woman who works” has declined in use because of possible confusion with the other meaning, “prostitute.” And the use of girl to refer to an adult woman is often perceived as insulting and demeaning. See also girl.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use working girl in a sentence

Forget your garden-variety tale of congressmen frequenting working girls.
Barney Frank Throws In the Towel, Won’t Seek Reelection in 2012 | Michelle Cottle | November 29, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The highest form of club life developed among working girls represents, to the working girl, her college.
The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William Betts
As the college meets the demands of its students in the electives it offers, so must the working-girls' club.
The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William Betts
The working-girls' club taught the working girls themselves the causes of their economic disadvantages.
The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William Betts
This conception of the financial side of the working-girls' club management controls in the clubs, with few exceptions, to-day.
The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William Betts

A nice-looking girl, very well dressed, joined a working-girls' club.
The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William Betts

British Dictionary definitions for working girl

working girl

noun

a girl or woman who works, esp one who supports herself
informal a prostitute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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