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I know that I'm already in the history books and that people are going to remember me as the prisoner of war and the fabricated stories, but you know, to me I was just another soldier over there doing my job.
Jessica Lynch

Meaning of "prisoner of war" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF PRISONER OF WAR

prisoner of war play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PRISONER OF WAR

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Prisoner of war is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES PRISONER OF WAR MEAN IN ENGLISH?

prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war (POW, PoW, PW, P/W, WP, PsW, enemy prisoner of war (EPW) or "missing-captured") is a person, whether combatant or non-combatant, who is held in custody by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase is dated 1660. Captor states hold captured enemy combatants and non-combatants in custody for a range of legitimate and illegitimate reasons. They are held to isolate them from enemy combatants still in the field, to release and repatriate them in an orderly manner after hostilities, to demonstrate military victory, to punish them, to prosecute them for war crimes, to exploit them for their labor, to recruit or even conscript them as their own combatants, to collect military and political intelligence from them, and to indoctrinate them in new political or religious beliefs.

Definition of prisoner of war in the English dictionary

The definition of prisoner of war in the dictionary is a person, esp a serviceman, captured by an enemy in time of war POW.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE PRISONER OF WAR

prison
prison authorities
prison camp
prison farm
prison governor
prison guard
prison inmate
prison officer
prison population
prison riot
prison sentence
prison van
prison visitor
prison warder
prison yard
prisoner
prisoner of conscience
prisoner´s base
prisonment
prisonous

WORDS THAT END LIKE PRISONER OF WAR

act of war
bidding war
civil war
cold war
contraband of war
council of war
declaration of war
dirty war
flame war
ground war
guerrilla war
holy war
honours of war
man o´ war
opium war
sloop of war
state of war
theatre of war
trade war
turf war

Synonyms and antonyms of prisoner of war in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «prisoner of war» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF PRISONER OF WAR

Find out the translation of prisoner of war to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of prisoner of war from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «prisoner of war» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

战俘
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

prisionero de guerra
570 millions of speakers

English

prisoner of war
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

युद्ध के कैदी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

أسير حرب
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

военнопленным
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

prisioneiro de guerra
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

যুদ্ধ বন্দী
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

prisonnier de guerre
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Banduan perang
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Kriegsgefangene
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

戦争捕虜
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

전쟁 포로
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Tawanan perang
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

tù nhân chiến tranh
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

போர் கைதி
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

युद्धकैदी
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Savaş esiri
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

prigioniero di guerra
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

niewoli
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

військовополоненим
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

prizonier de război
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αιχμάλωτος πολέμου
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

gevangene van die oorlog
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

krigsfånge
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

krigsfange
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of prisoner of war

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «PRISONER OF WAR»

The term «prisoner of war» is quite widely used and occupies the 46.448 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
79
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «prisoner of war» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of prisoner of war
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «prisoner of war».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «PRISONER OF WAR» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «prisoner of war» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «prisoner of war» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about prisoner of war

EXAMPLES

4 QUOTES WITH «PRISONER OF WAR»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word prisoner of war.
1
Laura Carmichael
I grew up listening in awe to stories of their wartime adventures. My granny, Joan, was a journalist and wrote amazing letters to my grandpa when he was a prisoner of war, while my nana, Mary, was a Land Girl, then a Wren. They were so independent, resilient and glamorous.
2
Ronnie Hawkins
Rock 'n' roll was two pegs below being a prisoner of war back then.
3
Jessica Lynch
I know that I'm already in the history books and that people are going to remember me as the prisoner of war and the fabricated stories, but you know, to me I was just another soldier over there doing my job.
4
Joshua A. Norton
To Mr. Seward: It is my desire that, in case Maximillian will surrender, he be sent here a prisoner of war, but that in the event of his continuing the war, or refusing to surrender, then he be shot.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PRISONER OF WAR»

Discover the use of prisoner of war in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to prisoner of war and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Prisoner of War: Six Years in Hanoi
Pictures and text describe the maltreatment and tortures endured by American POWs in Vietnam.
John M. McGrath, 1975
2
I Was a Prisoner of War in China
This book reveals for the first time, a true and human story of a soldier who carries physical disabilities to this day from this war. Details of a Chinese prison camp come out vividly after an exhausting war and capture.
K. N. Bakshi, 2012
3
Sitting Bull, Prisoner of War
However, there is a period in Sitting Bull's life that is usually skimmed over in all the biographies, and that is the chief's time as a prisoner of war at Fort Randall. His first authoritative biographer, Stanley Vestal (Walter Stanley Campbell), gave it ...
Dennis C. Pope, 2010
4
Glory Denied: The Vietnam Saga of Jim Thompson, America's ...
Weaving together interviews with Thompson and his family; comments from friends, fellow soldiers, and other POWs; and excerpts from service records, medical reports, and intelligence briefings, journalist Tom Philpott creates a moving and ...
Tom Philpott, 2012
5
Prisoner Of War: Voices from Behind the Wire in the Second ...
Arranged chronologically, the book follows those involved from capture, through interrogation, imprisonment, escape, to final liberation and homecoming.
Charles Rollings, 2011
6
Vetluga Memoir: A Turkish Prisoner of War in Russia, 1916-18
More than a personal reminiscence, Vetluga Memoir is also a historical document that describes a lost episode during World War I - the political and strategic mistakes made by the Ottoman Third Army - and the final days of one corner of the ...
Mehmet Arif Ölçen, Gary Leiser, 1995
7
A German Odyssey: The Journal of a German Prisoner of War
Tale of a German captured by the Americans in WWII.
Helmut Hörner, Alan Kent Powell, 1991
8
Under the rising sun: memories of a Japanese prisoner of war
Mario Machi survived one of the most terrible episodes in World War II. UNDER THE RISING SUN is his account of that experience. An Army private, Machi was in Manila when the Japanese attacked the Philippines in December, 1941.
Mario Machi, 1994
9
Prisoner of War - A Controversial Status
Master's Thesis from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: 2,4, Stellenbosch Universitiy, 63 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The status ...
Stephan M Ller, 2009
10
Violence Against Prisoners of War in the First World War: ...
First in-depth, comparative study of the treatment of prisoners of war during the First World War.
Heather Jones, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PRISONER OF WAR»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term prisoner of war is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Ex-prisoner of war Jessica Lynch to be guest of honor at holiday …
WHEELING, West Virginia — Former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch will highlight a holiday country music fundraiser in Wheeling. WTOV-TV ... «The Republic, Jul 15»
2
Donald Trump meet Everett Alvarez, who was a POW even longer …
Everett Alvarez Jr. sometimes goes days without thinking about the hell he endured — nearly nine years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, one of ... «Washington Post, Jul 15»
3
How a world war, a POW boat and a chocolate bar connected two …
I have been a German prisoner of War in the United States, and I meet you in April on the "Elgin Victory" in my return to Germany, after 3 years ... «OCRegister, Jul 15»
4
The message from the US presidential campaign
Mexican immigrants are decried as rapists and drug dealers, and he is happy to scrap with John McCain and his record as a prisoner of war. «BBC News, Jul 15»
5
Obama lashes out at GOP candidates for 'ridiculous' claims
John McCain, R-Ariz., a former prisoner of war in North Vietnam, was not a genuine war hero. Obama, who defeated McCain in the 2008 ... «Dallas Morning News, Jul 15»
6
Piata party costs GOP official his job
McCain, who was the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam after his plane was shot ... «Albuquerque Journal, Jul 15»
7
Center City Opera has new name and mission
And Vietnam prisoner of war Col. Jim Thompson, who emerges from a decade of captivity in Tom Cipullo's Glory Denied, learns that his wife, ... «Philly.com, Jul 15»
8
New Zealand's longest-serving prisoner locked up longer than …
Hess, who was Adolf Hitler's deputy, spent about four years as a prisoner of war in Britain before a 42-year stint in Spandau prison in Berlin on ... «Stuff.co.nz, Jul 15»
9
From Burma to Nagasaki: the man who walked through hell
From the formative ages of 18 to 21, Jan Bras was a Japanese prisoner of war. When the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies during the ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
10
Irish doctor who survived WWII and the bombing of Nagasaki (VIDEO)
A new documentary “The Doctor's Sword”, will examined the life of the Cork doctor who survived Dunkirk, was a prisoner of war after being ... «IrishCentral, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Prisoner of war [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/prisoner-of-war>. Apr 2024 ».
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