prisoner of war

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

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of prisoner of war¹

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

It was not until the prisoners of war were released that they could share their accounts, and no one had thought to go back and piece the puzzles together – until now.

From BBC

“Folks on fringe sites are calling for the release of what they are calling the Jan 6 ‘prisoners of war’ or ‘hostages’,” she said.

From BBC

During his service to the British Empire, the RAF flight lieutenant flew several missions before being shot down, captured and placed in a prisoner of war camp.

From BBC

He and his family finally uncovered more about Fred's time as a prisoner of war thanks to records at The National Archives.

From BBC

Russian forces are also accused of running a network of torture chambers across occupied Ukraine, where civilians and prisoners of war are tortured and in some cases killed.

From BBC

Related Words

• captive
• hostage
• prisoner