prisoner of war
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of prisoner of war
First recorded in 1670–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The violin in Baerwald’s hands was the one his German-Jewish grandfather played as a Japanese prisoner of war in the Bandō camp at Tokushima during World War I. “It’s a very serviceable violin,” Baerwald notes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
The bigtime journalist Tyler, it seems, is in Khartoum, awaiting an interview with a Sudanese prisoner of war, part of his research for a new book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
They ended with no breakthrough - although the first prisoner of war exchanges in months took place shortly after.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
In one, a courtroom illustration of Maduro in a New York courthouse springs to life and announces: "I consider myself a prisoner of war."
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
In February 1973, after eight and a half years as a prisoner of war, Everett Alvarez was finally set free.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
