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.
His father, a prisoner of war in the Dutch East Indies, would have likely died in Japanese custody had American forces not swept through the Pacific.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
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 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty and declared that he is a "prisoner of war."
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
In August, word reached back home that Igor Dolgopolov, 31 years old, had been made a prisoner of war after being deployed to Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025
Gertie is given an option: She can live with a German sponsor, or she can become a prisoner of war.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
