Meaning of Trojan horse | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The hollow wooden horse by which the Greeks allegedly gained access to Troy during the Trojan War.
   Greek
2. A subversive person or device placed within the ranks of the enemy.
   figuratively
3. A malicious program that is disguised as legitimate software.
4. A seemingly favorable offer designed to trick customers into making exorbitant payments.
5. A person, organization, social movement, piece of legislation, or ideology with a negative agenda or evil intentions under the guise of positive values or good intentions.

Equivalents

Examples

“Worse than what could be observed about the program was the fear that it might be a Trojan horse program -- apparently innocent, but carrying a string of code instructing the computer to carry out a specific damaging instruction at some later time.”

“Russia thinks of an atomic authority as a Trojan horse to get behind the iron curtain and impair her defense, and there is some reason historically for this view.”

“Seen like this, huge western companies function like a Trojan horse when they are invited inside the boundaries of LDCs.”

“Had the Israelis and the Americans realized that the Oslo accords were merely a “Trojan horse” designed to promote the higher goal of Palestine’s complete liberation, he argued, “they would never have opened their fortified gates and let it inside their walls.””

“Indeed, it may turn out to be a Trojan horse that finally allows conservative ideologues, who have unsuccessfully laid siege to Medicare since the days of Barry Goldwater, to breach its political defenses.”

CEFR level