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Politics dictionary results for sleeper cell

sleeper cell

American  

[slee-per sel] / ˈsli pər ˌsɛl /

noun

plural

sleeper cells

1. an organized group of undercover individuals, especially those involved in espionage or terrorist activities.

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Example Sentences

Natasha, Yelena, and their “parents” were sent to Ohio to be Russian sleeper cell agents and send info back to their home country.

From Slate • Jul. 8, 2021

Her group, the Stonehenge Alliance, which had become something of a sleeper cell, snapped back into action, writing to ministers even before the new scheme was announced by David Cameron in December 2014.

From The Guardian • Feb. 8, 2019

"Why did you want to be put in a sleeper cell?" asked Mr Bhajwa.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2018

The new story branches quickly into multiple threads in classic “24” fashion, briefly visiting a high school that might be linked to a sleeper cell and also setting up possible romantic entanglements.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2017

You're a --" I fished in my memory for vocabulary words culled from spy thrillers -- "you're a sleeper cell.

From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory