casting couch

noun

: a couch in an entertainment executive's office on which aspiring actresses are reputed to perform sexual acts in exchange for desired roles
broadly : the practice of abusing one's power to obtain sexual partners

Examples of casting couch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Her success is due to hard work and talent, not putting in time putting out on the casting couch. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2024 The days of the casting couch can never be tolerated, and victims should not be left alone to solve what is a community problem. Anita Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Apr. 2024 Mike Epps said a casting couch scenario stopped him from portraying Richard Pryor in a biopic. The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024 There are no casting couches in her world, no doors being slammed in her face, no roadblocks. Andrea Nevins, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for casting couch 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'casting couch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of casting couch was in 1931

Dictionary Entries Near casting couch

Cite this Entry

“Casting couch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casting%20couch. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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