Trojan horse
Classical Mythology. a gigantic hollow wooden horse, left by the Greeks upon their pretended abandonment of the siege of Troy. The Trojans took it into Troy and Greek soldiers concealed in the horse opened the gates to the Greek army at night and conquered the city.
a person or thing intended to undermine or destroy from within.
Also called Tro·jan .Computers. a nonreplicating computer program planted illegally in another program to do damage locally when the software is activated.
Origin of Trojan horse
1Words Nearby Trojan horse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use Trojan horse in a sentence
Sabet says the Florida ballot measure was a Trojan horse for legalization and voters were seeing it for what it was.
In Moscow there was even a nickname given to the convoy: Trojan horse, according to the radio station Echo of Moscow.
Russia's Suspicious Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine Separatists | Anna Nemtsova | August 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe “Operation Trojan horse” letter was a how-to guide for Islamic fundamentalists wanting to take over local schools.
Inspectors Uncover UK Schools Pushing Radical Islamic Agendas | Nico Hines | June 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFollowing the 2004 movie Troy, starring Brad Pitt, Canakkale bought the Trojan horse used in the film and put it in a public park.
Opponents saw her as a Trojan horse for the ousted president, dubbing her Xiomel, a conflation of the couple's nicknames.
Honduras Presidential Election Passes Over Chavez Loyalists | Mac Margolis | November 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He might have made you think of the Trojan horse—innocuous without, but teeming with belligerent activity within.
Children of the Desert | Louis DodgeThe Trojan horse, the grand successful stratagem, may be considered as the outcome.
Homer's Odyssey | Denton J. SniderIn some ways, the ancient Trojan horse is an early example of deception.
Shock and Awe | Harlan K. UllmanThe next whim of this vain, fantastic, and crazy man, was to prove that the Trojan horse could really have been constructed.
Haunted London | Walter ThornburyThere was no lack of guests at the Trojan horse, where we had taken up our abode at Valladolid.
The Bible in Spain | George Borrow
British Dictionary definitions for Trojan Horse
Also called: the Wooden Horse Greek myth the huge wooden hollow figure of a horse left outside Troy by the Greeks when they feigned retreat and dragged inside by the Trojans. The men concealed inside it opened the city to the final Greek assault
a trap intended to undermine an enemy
computing a bug inserted into a program or system designed to be activated after a certain time or a certain number of operations
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Trojan Horse
In classical mythology, a large, hollow horse made of wood used by the Greeks to win the Trojan War (see also Trojan War). The resourceful Odysseus had come up with the plan for the horse. The Greeks hid soldiers inside it and left it outside the gates of Troy. They anchored their ships just out of sight of Troy and left a man behind to say that the goddess Athena would be pleased if the Trojans brought the horse inside the city and honored it. The Trojans took the bait, against the advice of Cassandra and Laocoon. That night the Greek army returned to Troy. The men inside the horse emerged and opened the city gates for their companions. The Greeks sacked the city, thus winning the war.
Notes for Trojan Horse
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse