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Synonyms

prisoner of war

American  

noun

  1. a person who is captured and held by an enemy during war, especially a member of the armed forces. POW

prisoner of war British  

noun

  1.  POW.  a person, esp a serviceman, captured by an enemy in time of war

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

For most of human history, armies were untroubled by prisoners of war.

From The Wall Street Journal

They ended with no breakthrough - although the first prisoner of war exchanges in months took place shortly after.

From BBC

His party hails him as "one of the youngest prisoners of war".

From Barron's

Ukraine and Russia exchanged 314 prisoners of war after another round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ukraine and Russia have conducted a rare exchange of prisoners of war and civilians after two days of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

From BBC

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.