Trojan

1 of 2

noun

Tro·​jan ˈtrō-jən How to pronounce Trojan (audio)
1
: a native or inhabitant of Troy
2
: one who shows qualities (such as pluck, endurance, or determined energy) attributed to the defenders of ancient Troy
3
: a merry and often irresponsible or disreputable companion

Trojan

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or resembling ancient Troy or its inhabitants
2
: of, relating to, or constituting a Trojan horse

Examples of Trojan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
While Watkins was named Pac-12 freshman of the year, the league coaches had Forbes as the only other Trojan on their 15-player All-Pac-12 team. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 These smartphones on wheels could serve as a modern-day Trojan Horse by collecting data from their environment and transmitting them back to Beijing, the government argues. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024 As legend has it, Cassandra futilely warned her fellow countrymen that the Greeks’ Trojan horse was no innocent gift. Andrew Wallenstein, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 This will increase our homelessness issue and could potentially be a Trojan horse setup. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 Jason Sudeikis was the celeb du jour in attendance at USC on Friday, with Will Ferrell in attendance on Monday along with former Trojan greats Cheryl Miller and Tina Thompson. Jeff Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2024 Conservative-leaning channels, including Fox News, have spent the past few months telling their audience that Swift is a Trojan horse for the Democratic Party and a psychological operations asset for the Pentagon. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Producer Harry Johnson bought the rights from Scott, credited the song to the Harry J All Stars and licensed it to Trojan Records. Patricia Meschino, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2024 The ad also shows how the guards at the gates of Troy decided to let the Trojan horse into the city, two men deciding whether to report an up-close UFO sighting and more. Anna Chan, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Trojan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin trojanus of Troy, from Troia, Troja Troy, from Greek Trōïa

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Trojan was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Trojan

Cite this Entry

“Trojan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Trojan. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Trojan

noun
Tro·​jan
ˈtrō-jən
: a person born or living in ancient Troy
Trojan adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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