POTUS

abbreviation or noun

ˈpō-təs 

variants or less commonly Potus

: the president of the United States

—often used like a nickname

The Bushes held their first state dinner. POTUS served buffalo meat, wore cowboy boots and welcomed Clint Eastwood.

—Newsweek

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some other acronyms like POTUS?

The oldest -OTUS ("of the United States") acronym is SCOTUS ("Supreme Court of the United States"), in use since the 1870s. POTUS ("President of the United States") is the second oldest, coming some twenty years after SCOTUS. FLOTUS ("First Lady of the United States") is another, thought to have originated in the 1980s. Less common than these, but still occasionally found, is VPOTUS ("Vice President of the United States").

Is POTUS always capitalized?

The most common form of the word is POTUS, although it is also found as Potus. Less common, and formerly used more frequently in the early 20th century, is potus.

What is the origin of the word POTUS?

POTUS is an acronym created by taking the first letter of each word in "President of the United States." According to our earliest records of its use, it came into being in the 1890s as an abbreviation used by telegraph operators. POTUS was likely based on the slightly older SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States), which had been used by telegraph operators since the 1870s.

Examples of POTUS in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, Trump's official Instagram account, separate from the POTUS account, has 31.3 million followers. —Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025

But what actually happened is that the POTUS and White House Facebook pages are run by the sitting president. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025

With the transition of White House administrations, the official POTUS and VP accounts are changing and some Instagram users are having a difficult time unfollowing them after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris left office. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2025

The network kept a camera on POTUS and Vice President JD Vance, highlighting their real-time reactions to her sermon. —Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 21 Jan. 2025

Now, with the arrival of the 45th president’s re-inauguration as POTUS 47, most movie-business insiders are hunched in a crash position alongside Disney executives. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025

Both of the Bushes have since passed away, as have Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, leaving President Obama and first lady Michelle, President George W. Bush and first lady Laura, and President Clinton and first lady Hillary as the only living former POTUS couples. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 14 Jan. 2025

The timing here is simply to align with our new/old POTUS’ second and (hopefully, Constitutionally) final four-year term. —Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 14 Jan. 2025

Not exactly bosom buddies with Trump during his first term, Zuckerberg banned the 45th POTUS from Facebook for two years the day after the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above