trojan
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who lived in the ancient city of Troy.
n.a native or inhabitant of the ancient city of Troy, famously involved in the Trojan War.
Simple“The story tells of how the Trojans defended their city for ten years.”
In context“Archaeological evidence suggests that the Trojans maintained a sophisticated trading network across the Aegean long before the city's legendary fall.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a harmful computer program that looks like a normal, safe file.
n.a type of malware that misleads users of its true intent by appearing to be a legitimate or desirable application.
Simple“He accidentally downloaded a trojan while trying to install a free game.”
In context“The security audit revealed a sophisticated trojan that had been exfiltrating sensitive data under the guise of a system update.”
UsageOften used as a shortened form of 'Trojan horse'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.someone who works very hard or shows great strength and courage.
n.a person who demonstrates exceptional pluck, endurance, or determination in a task.
Simple“She worked like a trojan to get the project finished by the deadline.”
In context“Despite the freezing conditions, the volunteers worked like trojans to clear the blocked roads before the morning commute.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.an asteroid or moon that follows the same path as a larger planet.
n.an asteroid or natural satellite that shares the orbit of a larger planet, remaining near stable points.
Simple“Jupiter has thousands of trojans that follow it around the sun.”
In context“The mission was designed to study the composition of the Jovian trojans to better understand the early formation of the solar system.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.connected to the ancient city of Troy or its people.
adj.of or relating to the ancient city of Troy, its inhabitants, or the legendary war fought there.
Simple“The Trojan War is one of the most famous stories in history.”
In context“The museum features a collection of Trojan pottery discovered during the late nineteenth-century excavations.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to put a harmful program onto a computer system.
v.to infect a computer or network with a trojan horse program.
Simple“The hackers managed to trojan the server through a weak password.”
In context“Once the attackers had successfully trojaned the workstation, they gained persistent access to the internal corporate network.”
Synonyms
“This well-known section lists the Greek forces preparing for the Trojan War and is considered one of the best-known passages in Western literature.”
From old forms Troyan, Troian, Middle English Troiā̆n, from Old English Trōiān, from Latin Troiānus, from Troia (“Troy”) + -ānus, from Ancient Greek Τροίᾱ (Troíā).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.