D defs.my
Entry 2 senses Webster, 1913

fifth column

/fĭfth käl'-əm/ · fifth· col·umn · IPA
01 n. 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 …
  1. 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. Also: trojan horse
  2. 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.