POTUS

abbreviation or noun

ˈpō-təs 

variants or less commonly Potus

: the president of the United States

—often used like a nickname

The Bushes held their first state dinner. POTUS served buffalo meat, wore cowboy boots and welcomed Clint Eastwood.

—Newsweek

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some other acronyms like POTUS?

The oldest -OTUS ("of the United States") acronym is SCOTUS ("Supreme Court of the United States"), in use since the 1870s. POTUS ("President of the United States") is the second oldest, coming some twenty years after SCOTUS. FLOTUS ("First Lady of the United States") is another, thought to have originated in the 1980s. Less common than these, but still occasionally found, is VPOTUS ("Vice President of the United States").

Is POTUS always capitalized?

The most common form of the word is POTUS, although it is also found as Potus. Less common, and formerly used more frequently in the early 20th century, is potus.

What is the origin of the word POTUS?

POTUS is an acronym created by taking the first letter of each word in "President of the United States." According to our earliest records of its use, it came into being in the 1890s as an abbreviation used by telegraph operators. POTUS was likely based on the slightly older SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States), which had been used by telegraph operators since the 1870s.

Examples of POTUS in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

News channels will include POTUS, Patriot and Progress. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 July 2025

The White House’s defiant stance was also shared across the official POTUS accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook. —Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 12 July 2025

Cupp returned to the residence to have some random brief chat with the POTUS’ mother-in-law Nan Cox (Jane Curtin). —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2025

At least Julie hung up on her daughter and not POTUS. —Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

Thank you to our extraordinary military and our indomitable POTUS. —Amalia Huot-Marchand, The Hill, 22 June 2025

Reminded by Newsom, Mayor Bass, the LAPD chief, the L.A. County DA and others that there was no need for soldiers in L.A., POTUS and Defense Sec. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 June 2025

Right by Trump’s side at the last UFC pile-on POTUS attended, Elon Musk was nowhere to be seen Saturday. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 June 2025

Musk, former Senior Advisor to the POTUS, openly opposes The One, Big, Beautiful Bill. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for POTUS

• glottis
• epiglottis
• serratus