prisoner of war

noun phrase

: a person captured in war

especially : a member of the armed forces of a nation who is taken by the enemy during combat

Examples of prisoner of war in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The majority of the victims were Jews, though tens of thousands of Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and victims of other nationalities also perished. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025

However, the camp also claimed the lives of many Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, LGBTQ individuals, and others persecuted under Nazi racial ideology. —Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025

The main observances take place at the site in southern Poland where Nazi Germany murdered more than a million people, most of them Jews, but also Poles, Roma and Sinti, Soviet prisoners of war, LGBTQ people and others targeted for elimination in Adolf Hitler’s racial ideology. —Vanessa Gera, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025

One year has passed since Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting down a Russian military plane carrying dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war. —Cassandra Vinograd, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

prisoner of war

: a member of the armed forces of a nation who has been captured by the enemy

Legal Definition

prisoner of war

: a person captured in war

especially : a member of the armed forces of a nation who is taken by the enemy during combat

Note: Under the Third Geneva Convention, a person is a prisoner of war if he or she falls in one of the following categories: 1) a member of the armed forces of a party to the conflict or of a militia or volunteer corps that is part of the armed forces; 2) a member of another militia or volunteer corps who is a lawful combatant; 3) a member of regular armed forces who profess allegiance to a government or authority not recognized by his or her captor; 4) a person who accompanies the armed forces but is not a member of it provided they have proper authority to accompany it; 5) members of the merchant marine and crews of civil aircraft who do not fall under more favorable designations under international law; and 6) inhabitants of territory facing approach of the enemy who spontaneously resist invasion and carry arms openly and respect the laws of war. Prisoners of war are entitled to certain rights (as to humane treatment) under the Convention. Two further categories of people entitled to treatment as prisoners of war are 1) persons belonging or having belonged to the armed forces of an occupied country who were liberated but have been confined especially when they have tried to rejoin the armed forces or have not complied with a summons attempting to confine them; and 2) persons falling under any of the categories of those entitled to treatment as prisoners of war who are received by neutral countries that are required to confine them by international law, with certain exceptions specified in the Convention.