1.
[syn: fifth column, Trojan horse]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
fifth column \fifth` col"umn\, n. [from a statement during the
Spanish Civil War (1936) that the Falange had four columns of
soldiers marching on the city, and a fifth column "already
there" (i.e. sympathizers inside the Republican lines).]
1. a group of persons inside the battle lines of a territory
engaged in a conflict, who secretly sympathize with the
enemy, and who engage in espionage or sabotage; --
sometimes also referred to as a trojan horse.
[RP]
2. Hence, any faction of persons within a group who secretly
sympathize with an enemy, especially those who engage in
activities harmful to the group; an enemy in one's midst;
a group of traitors.
[RP]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
fifth column
n 1: a subversive group that supports the enemy and engages in
espionage or sabotage; an enemy in your midst [syn: fifth
column, Trojan horse]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
22 Moby Thesaurus words for "fifth column":
Judas-like, Trojan horse, Trojan-horse, betraying,
collaborationist, collaborator, crypto, double-crossing,
fellow traveler, fifth columnist, fraternizer, quisling,
quislingistic, saboteur, security risk, subversive, traitorous,
treasonable, treasonous, turncoat, two-timing, underground