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

The doc tells the story of how Donald Trump, the former and possibly future POTUS, encouraged a band of people to subvert the U.S. constitution and storm the Capitol. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024

In the aftermath of POTUS’ vulgarity, Jean sets out to handle the press. —Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2024

Pact Census DirecTV Rejects Disney Offer To Restore ABC News Tonight Only For POTUS Debate - Update Last month, Garnett stunned the media industry by siding with Fubo and granting a preliminary injunction barring the launch of Venu Sports. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2024

On the other side, the incumbent POTUS and his advisors, who are dealing with an escalating catastrophe on the ground. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2024

Indian American voters supporting Kamala Harris’ presidential ticket have a new rallying cry: LOTUS for POTUS. —Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 31 July 2024

Republicans chose him to be one heartbeat away from becoming POTUS. —Mia Sato, The Verge, 25 July 2024

No longer a contest between two aging nominees—a current and a former POTUS—now Democrats changed their lineup, leaving open only the question of who would be Harris’ vice presidential candidate. —Marvin Kalb and Garrett Mitchell, TIME, 24 July 2024

That set in motion a series of events that led the incumbent POTUS to ultimately drop out of the 2024 race. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 24 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above