prisoner of war
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Related to POWS: prisoners of war
prisoner of war
n. pl. prisoners of war
A person taken by or surrendering to enemy forces in wartime.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
prisoner of war
n
(Military) a person, esp a serviceman, captured by an enemy in time of war. Abbreviation: POW
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pris′oner of war`
n.
a person who is captured and held by an enemy during war, esp. a member of the armed forces. Abbr.: POW
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
prisoner of war
A detained person as defined in Articles 4 and 5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12, 1949. In particular, one who, while engaged in combat under orders of his or her government, is captured by the armed forces of the enemy. As such, he or she is entitled to the combatant's privilege of immunity from the municipal law of the capturing state for warlike acts which do not amount to breaches of the law of armed conflict. For example, a prisoner of war may be, but is not limited to, any person belonging to one of the following categories who has fallen into the power of the enemy: a member of the armed forces, organized militia or volunteer corps; a person who accompanies the armed forces without actually being a member thereof; a member of a merchant marine or civilian aircraft crew not qualifying for more favorable treatment; or individuals who, on the approach of the enemy, spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading forces. Also called POW or PW.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
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Noun | 1. | prisoner of war - a person who surrenders to (or is taken by) the enemy in time of war |
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Translations
سَجين حَرْب، أسير
válečný zajateczajatec
krigsfange
sotavanki
hadifogoly
stríðsfangistríîsfangi
vojnový zajatec
savaş tutsağı
бранець
prisoner of war
n → prigioniero/a di guerraCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
prison
(ˈprizn) noun a building in which criminals are kept; a jail. He was sent to prison; He is in prison.
ˈprisoner noun anyone who has been captured and is held against his will as a criminal, in a war etc. The prisoners escaped from jail.
prisoner of war – plural prisoners of war – a member of the armed forces captured in a war.
take/keep/hold prisoner to (capture and) confine (a person) against his will. Many soldiers were killed and the rest taken prisoner; She was kept prisoner in a locked room.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.