What does gigolo mean?
Gigolo most commonly denotes a man who escorts or provides sexual companionship to a woman in return for payment, especially a male escort or sex worker. It may also describe a man who accompanies a woman professionally, although that broader use can make the term sound exaggerated or old-fashioned. Historically, gigolo referred to a man financially supported by a wealthy woman; this sense survives but is now dated. The noun can be unapologetically descriptive, but it often carries a stigmatizing or objectifying tone, particularly when used to reduce someone to their role. The verb, meaning to act as a male escort, is much less common and can sound jocular or theatrical. Gigolo should not be used for an ordinary male partner merely because he is older, younger, or wealthier than the woman; the usual implication is that money is exchanged for companionship or sexual services.
A man who provides companionship or sexual services to a woman in exchange for payment, especially a male escort; formerly, a man financially maintained by a wealthy woman.
"The scandal began when she was seen leaving a restaurant with a famous gigolo."
The paid-companion sense is dominant today, while the sense of a financially kept man is dated.
To act as a male escort or to escort a woman in return for payment.
"He gigoloed her around town one night while filming the period drama."
This use is less common than the noun and can sound jocular, theatrical, or deliberately dismissive.
The regular plural is used for multiple men who work as male escorts or provide companionship for payment.
"Two gigolos waited outside the nightclub in matching evening clothes."
Gigolo once commonly meant a man kept by a wealthy woman; today, the word usually points to a paid male escort.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gigolo come from?
The English word dates from the late 19th century and was borrowed from French gigolo, which came from Italian gigolo. The Italian form is generally traced to Spanish gigoló, an alteration of Catalan gigoló. The ultimate origin of the Catalan word is disputed, so it should not confidently be assigned to a particular Latin or Greek root.
Related word forms
How gigolo is actually used
The word is informal to mildly derogatory and may sound dismissive, objectifying, or deliberately theatrical. In contemporary use, it usually implies that the man is providing romantic or sexual companionship for money. The older sense of a man financially maintained by a wealthy woman is dated. The verb is relatively uncommon and often humorous or deliberately colorful.