ENGLISH
REFERENCE

porn

n.
US //ˈpɔɹn// UK //pˈɔːn// porn
  1. 1 pornography (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    short for pornography; pictures or videos of sexual acts.

    an informal clipping of 'pornography' referring to sexually explicit media.

    Example

    The hotel's internet filter blocks all access to porn sites.

    Example

    The legislation aims to restrict the access of minors to online porn without infringing upon the privacy of adult users.

    Usage

    Uncountable when referring to the genre; occasionally countable in plural when referring to specific works.
  2. 2 visually pleasing media (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Humorous

    beautiful photos or videos of a specific subject, like food or nature, that are very satisfying to watch.

    a metaphorical use referring to high-quality, stylised media that provides sensory or aesthetic gratification regarding a specific interest.

    Example

    I spent the whole evening looking at food porn on Instagram.

    Example

    The documentary was essentially nature porn, featuring slow-motion shots of rare birds in the rainforest with no real scientific commentary.

    Usage

    Usually appears as the second element in a compound noun, such as 'food porn', 'earth porn', or 'property porn'.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is very common on social media to describe high-quality photography; it does not imply sexual content but uses the word for its 'addictive' or 'pleasurable' connotation.
    • eye candy
Origin

Clipping of pornography. Attested from mid-20th century.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Last updated June 19, 2026