Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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.

The 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty and declared that he is a "prisoner of war."

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 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 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

Aside from a major prisoner of war swap last week, there was little or no progress on bringing a pausing in fighting closer.

From BBC • May 25, 2025

“I don’t know, Willie, that sounds like something out of the sixties, know what I’m sayin’? Something about declaring war on poverty and Spanish Harlem being a prisoner of war.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

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.