Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

prisoner of war

/ˈpɹɪz.(ə).nɚ əv ˈwoɹ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.18 in modern English

Syllables: pri-son-er of war
IPA: /ˈpɹɪz.(ə).nɚ əv ˈwoɹ/

21

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A combatant or soldier who is captured by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict.

Example Sentences

"As a prisoner of war, he was interrogated by his enemy captors."
"In November 1799 he entered on board the 38-gun frigate Hussar, under the immediate patronage of the first lieutenant, and four years later was serving as midshipman on board the same ship when she was lost on the Saintes, near Brest, on 8 Feb. 1804. Whilst prisoner of war, Mr. Ashworth made several remarkable attempts to recover his freedom; and at last, having escaped from Bitche in December 1808, he succeeded in passing through Germany to Trieste, where he got on board the English frigate L'Unité."

Etymology

Calque of French prisonnier de guerre, prisonier de guerre (obsolete).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɹɪz.(ə).nɚ əv ˈwoɹ/
British English: /ˈpɹɪz.(ə).nə əv ˈwɔː/

Inflected Forms

prisoners of war (plural)

Phrases

prisoner-of-war camp

Synonyms

POW PW

Rhymes With

for or your more before any more you're sure four war man-of-war poor

Questions

How do you pronounce prisoner of war?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɹɪz.(ə).nɚ əv ˈwoɹ/.
What does prisoner of war mean?: A combatant or soldier who is captured by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict.
Where does prisoner of war come from?: Calque of French prisonnier de guerre, prisonier de guerre (obsolete).

How to pronounce prisoner of war

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