POTUS
2 synonyms for POTUS, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The President of the United States, referred to by the initialism of the title.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
the President
commander-in-chief
How to use POTUS
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
POTUS and FLOTUS
the POTUS motorcade
briefed POTUS
POTUS account
Originally staff, Secret Service and press shorthand; now widely used online, often with an edge of irony. Not used in formal address — you would never begin a letter 'Dear POTUS'.
Etymology
An initialism of President of the United States, from a family of abbreviations used in official and press shorthand alongside FLOTUS and SCOTUS.
Full origin of POTUS →Frequently asked questions
What do POTUS, FLOTUS and SCOTUS stand for?
POTUS is the President of the United States, FLOTUS is the First Lady of the United States, and SCOTUS is the Supreme Court of the United States. The vice president is sometimes called VPOTUS, though that one is much rarer in practice.
Is POTUS a formal title?
No. The formal style is 'the President of the United States', and in address it is 'Mr President' or 'Madam President'. POTUS is shorthand — convenient in security communications, headlines and social media, but out of place in official documents.
Does POTUS refer to the office or the person?
Usually the person currently holding it, as in 'POTUS approved the order'. It can shade into the office itself when writers talk about the powers of POTUS, but 'the presidency' is the clearer word for that.
