Definition

1. Noun:
   • Prisoner of war (POW): A person who is captured and held by an enemy force during or immediately after an armed conflict. This person is typically a member of a state's armed forces, a militia, or other combatants.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Các tù binh được đối xử nhân đạo theo công ước Geneva. (The prisoners of war were treated humanely according to the Geneva Conventions.)
  • Hai bên đã đồng ý trao đổi tù binh. (The two sides agreed to exchange prisoners of war.)
  • Anh ta bị bắt và trở thành tù binh. (He was captured and became a prisoner of war.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is used in formal, legal, and military contexts to refer to individuals with a specific protected status under international law, distinguishing them from other detainees.

Variants and Related Words

• Tù binh chiến tranh: A fuller, more formal term for "prisoner of war," identical in meaning.
  • Hội Chữ thập đỏ quốc tế thường thăm hỏi tù binh chiến tranh. (The International Red Cross often visits prisoners of war.)

Synonyms

• Prisoner of war (POW): The direct and most common equivalent.
• Captive: A more general term for someone held prisoner, which can include POWs.
• Detainee: Often used in broader contexts, but can apply to prisoners held in armed conflict.

Related Idioms

• While there are no common idioms using the word tù binh itself, the concept is central to phrases like "trao đổi tù binh" (POW exchange) or "trại tù binh" (POW camp).

noun

1. prisoner of war (POW)