'fifth column' definitions:
Definition of 'fifth column'
(from WordNet)
noun
A subversive group that supports the enemy and engages in espionage or sabotage; an enemy in your midst [syn: fifth column, Trojan horse]
Definition of 'fifth column'
From: GCIDE
- 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]
Synonyms of 'fifth column'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- betraying,
- collaborationist,
- collaborator,
- crypto,
- double-crossing,
- fellow traveler,
- fifth columnist,
- fraternizer,
- Judas-like,
- quisling,
- quislingistic,
- saboteur,
- security risk,
- subversive,
- traitorous,
- treasonable,
- treasonous,
- Trojan horse,
- Trojan-horse,
- turncoat,
- two-timing,
- underground