trojan
/ˈtrəʊdʒən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtrəʊdʒən/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtrō-jən/ (ame, mw)
trojan — noun
1. a person who manages to become a member of a team, company, or community and the
a person who manages to become a member of a team, company, or community and then secretly works against it, often by leaking information to an opposing side
The police discovered that a trojan had been working inside the protest group for two years.
working inside a group as a secret agent
Roya suspected there was a trojan in the department who was leaking information to a rival company.
The company hired a private investigator to find the trojan among its own staff members.
The charity discovered a trojan on its board who had been funnelling donations to a fake account.
Arjun felt betrayed when he learned his closest colleague was a trojan working for a competitor.
- mole
stronger implication of deep, long-term cover within intelligence agencies
- infiltrator
more general term; a trojan is a type of infiltrator with intent to harm
- saboteur
focuses on causing damage, not necessarily on espionage
- ally
a trojan works against a group; an ally supports it
文法句型
trojan + verb (singular/plural)
用法筆記
Frequently used in the context of espionage, corporate intelligence, or political infiltration. The person being referred to is usually already inside the target group before they begin their harmful activity.
常見錯誤
2. a type of harmful software designed to look like a normal or useful program whil
a type of harmful software designed to look like a normal or useful program while secretly damaging computers, stealing data, or granting remote access to attackers
Christopher's laptop slowed down after he accidentally downloaded a trojan disguised as a free music player.
accidentally download a trojan disguised as
The trojan gave the hackers remote control over thousands of home computers around the world.
The free PDF editor Ryo downloaded was actually a trojan designed to record every password he typed.
Email attachments from unknown senders are a common way for a trojan to enter your system.
The bank's security team found a trojan that had been recording customer passwords for several weeks.
文法句型
trojan + verb (singular)
用法筆記
Unlike a computer virus, a trojan does not spread by copying itself — it relies on users downloading and running the program willingly, often because it looks like legitimate software.
常見錯誤
3. a native or resident of Troy, the ancient city located in what is now northweste
a native or resident of Troy, the ancient city located in what is now northwestern Turkey, especially from the time of the Trojan War described in Greek legends
The ancient Trojans built strong stone walls around their city to protect it from attackers.
Historians believe the Trojans were skilled traders who controlled important sea routes between Europe and Asia.
Trojans as historical people — skilled traders
According to legend, the Trojans pulled the giant wooden horse into their city, not knowing Greek soldiers were hidden inside.
The Trojans refused to believe the warning from the priest about the wooden horse.
According to ancient stories, the Trojans celebrated their victory for three days before disaster struck.
- Greek
the Trojans fought against the Greeks in the Trojan War
trojan — adjective
- trojanpositive
- more trojancomparative
- most trojansuperlative
1. relating to the ancient city of Troy, its people, culture, history, or the event
relating to the ancient city of Troy, its people, culture, history, or the events of the legendary Trojan War
The museum's Trojan exhibition features gold jewellery and painted pottery from around 1200 BC.
Trojan exhibition; Trojan artifacts
Many Trojan myths were later retold by Roman poets, including Virgil in his epic poem the Aeneid.
Saira wrote her university thesis on the role of women in Trojan society during the Bronze Age.
Arjun visited the archaeological site where the ancient Trojan walls once stood.
Trojan legends have inspired countless works of art and literature across the centuries.
- Greek
the Greek side opposed the Trojans in the war
文法句型
Trojan + noun
用法筆記
Always capitalised when referring to the ancient city or its people. In historical contexts, 'Trojan' often appears alongside 'Greek' to contrast the two sides of the Trojan War.
常見錯誤
2. describing a computer program or digital file that pretends to be useful or safe
describing a computer program or digital file that pretends to be useful or safe but is actually designed to harm a system, steal data, or allow unauthorized access
The antivirus software detected a Trojan file that had been hidden inside what looked like an invoice PDF.
Trojan file; detected by antivirus
Cybersecurity experts warn that Trojan attacks often arrive disguised as shipping notices or bank statements.
Mei's IT department blocked a Trojan program before it could spread to other computers on the office network.
The free QR code reader Ayana installed was actually a Trojan program that stole her photos.
Reuben's computer was infected after he clicked on a link that downloaded a Trojan installer.
- legitimate
a Trojan program pretends to be legitimate but is not
文法句型
Trojan + noun
用法筆記
Commonly written with a capital T in computing contexts, though some style guides use lowercase. The adjective almost always appears before a noun like 'program', 'file', 'attack', or 'horse'.