Download the app
educalingo
fifth column

Meaning of "fifth column" in the English dictionary

DICTIONARY

PRONUNCIATION OF FIFTH COLUMN

fifth column


GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF FIFTH COLUMN

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Fifth column is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES FIFTH COLUMN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Fifth column

A fifth column is any group of people who undermine a larger group, such as a nation or a besieged city, from within. The activities of a fifth column can be overt or clandestine. Forces gathered in secret can mobilize openly to assist an external attack. This term is also extended to organized actions by military personnel. Clandestine fifth column activities can involve acts of sabotage, disinformation, or espionage executed within defense lines by secret sympathizers with an external force.

Definition of fifth column in the English dictionary

The definition of fifth column in the dictionary is a group of Falangist sympathizers in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War who were prepared to join the four columns of insurgents marching on the city. Other definition of fifth column is any group of hostile or subversive infiltrators; an enemy in one's midst.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE FIFTH COLUMN

fifteen · fifteener · fifteenth · fifteenthly · fifth · Fifth Amendment · fifth columnist · fifth disease · fifth force · fifth form · Fifth Republic · fifth wheel · fifth-generation · fifth-grader · fifthly · fifties · fiftieth · fifty · fifty-fifty · fiftyish

WORDS THAT END LIKE FIFTH COLUMN

advice column · agony column · column · control column · correspondence column · fractionating column · gossip column · lonely hearts column · lost-and-found column · multicolumn · obituary column · personal column · short column · showbiz column · social column · society column · spinal column · steering column · vertebral column

Synonyms and antonyms of fifth column in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «fifth column» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF FIFTH COLUMN

Find out the translation of fifth column to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of fifth column from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «fifth column» in English.
zh

Translator English - Chinese

第五纵队
1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator English - Spanish

quinta columna
570 millions of speakers
en

English

fifth column
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator English - Hindi

पांचवां स्तंभ
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الطابور الخامس
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator English - Russian

пятая колонна
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator English - Portuguese

quinta coluna
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator English - Bengali

পঞ্চম কলাম
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator English - French

cinquième colonne
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator English - Malay

Lajur kelima
190 millions of speakers
de

Translator English - German

fünfte Kolonne
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator English - Japanese

第5列
130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator English - Korean

다섯 번째 열
85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator English - Javanese

Kolom kaping lima
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

phần năm
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator English - Tamil

ஐந்தாவது பத்தியில்
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator English - Marathi

पाचवा स्तंभ
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator English - Turkish

Beşinci sütun
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator English - Italian

quinta colonna
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator English - Polish

piąta kolumna
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator English - Ukrainian

п´ята колона
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator English - Romanian

coloana a cincea
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

πέμπτη στήλη
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

vyfde kolom
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

femte kolumnen
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

femte kolonne
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of fifth column

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «FIFTH COLUMN»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of fifth column
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «fifth column».

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about fifth column

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «FIFTH COLUMN»

Discover the use of fifth column in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to fifth column and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Fifth Column
These works, which grew from Hemingway's adventures as a newspaper correspondent in and around besieged Madrid, movingly portray the effects of war on soldiers, civilians, and the correspondents sent to cover it.
Ernest Hemingway, 2008
2
Insidious Foes: The Axis Fifth Column and the American Home ...
An historical treatise on the popular and government reaction to the possibility of a fifth column threat preceding the second world war, and the implications for American politics and public perception through the latter half of the ...
Francis MacDonnell, 2004
3
The Chimera Vector: The Fifth Column 1
"Farrugia!
Nathan M Farrugia, Nathan M. Farrugia, 2012
4
Fifth Column: And Four Stories of the Spanish Civil War
These works, which grew from Hemingway's adventures as a newspaper correspondent in and around besieged Madrid, movingly portray the effects of war on soldiers, civilians, and the correspondents sent to cover it.
Ernest Hemingway, 2014
5
Fifth Column: And Four Stories of the Spanish Civil War
The. Fifth. Column. ACT ONE • SCENE ONE It is seven-thirty in the evening.A corridor on the first floor of the Hotel Florida in Madrid.There is a large white paper hand-printed sign on the door of Room 109 which reads, “Working, Do Not  ...
Ernest Hemingway, 2014
6
The Seraphim Sequence: The Fifth Column 2
The world is reeling in the aftermath of genocide.
Nathan M Farrugia, Nathan M. Farrugia, 2013
7
Fifth column lessons for America
There was no strong Fifth Column among the Czechs and Poles; a few Czech Agrarians; the former Polish Foreign Minister Josef Beck believed that it was necessary to have peace with the Germans. On the whole, the two peoples stood like ...
William Joseph Donovan, Edgar Ansel Mowrer, American Council on Public Affairs, 1941
8
Insidious Foes: The Axis Fifth Column and the American Home ...
In this book, Francis MacDonnell explains the origins and consequences of America's Fifth Column panic, arguing that conviction and expedience encouraged President Roosevelt, the FBI, Congressmen, Churchill's government, and Hollywood to ...
Francis MacDonnell, 1995
9
The fifth column and four stories of the Spanish Civil War
Featuring Hemingway's only full-length play, which--like the stories here--grew out of his experiences in and around a besieged Madrid, this volume brilliantly evokes the tumultuous years of the Spanish Civil War.
Ernest Hemingway, 1998
10
God's Fifth Column: A Biography of the Age: 18901940
God's Fifth Column is the last book of William Gerhardie.
William Gerhardie, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «FIFTH COLUMN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term fifth column is used in the context of the following news items.
1
The Spanish village that thought it was called 'Kill Jews'
Spaniards are just waking up to the scale of the 'fifth column' in their midst and feeling betrayed. Still, the reputation of Barcelona has been ... «Spectator.co.uk, Jul 15»
2
Orator Poroshenko and the Dead Souls
The "reckless policy of absurd pacifism" of Yanukovych and the "fifth column" of the "neighboring country" had completely destroyed the ... «Sputnik International, Jul 15»
3
Citizen Odeh: The Arab leader who feels the Jews' pain
Calling the Arab Knesset members a “fifth column,” he charged that “they all hate the State of Israel, and they represent the terror organizations ... «Haaretz, Jul 15»
4
Washington Post Claims of Growing Pro-Russian Vibe in Georgia …
Moreover, the article notes Russia's Fifth Column and the likes of Archil Chkoidze who openly support Georgia's entry in Russia's Eurasian ... «Georgia Today, Jul 15»
5
Russian Belts Tighten, Affecting Tastes for the Finer Things
Various real estate agents said no Rublovka clients wanted to speak publicly about emigrating lest they be labeled part of the “fifth column” ... «New York Times, Jul 15»
6
Deal with Liberman on judges' selection raises Likud hopes for …
She called Liberman's party a “fifth column in the opposition,” while Meretz MK Esawi Frej called it “the opposition's Trojan horse.” But sources ... «Jerusalem Post Israel News, Jul 15»
7
Russians rethink tastes in the finer things
Various real estate agents said no Rublovka clients wanted to speak publicly about emigrating lest they be labeled part of the "fifth column" ... «Tampabay.com, Jul 15»
8
Putin's Rating: How Much Would You Like?
The pollsters release only the result, and if you choose not to believe it, then you might as well be part of the fifth column! Verifying the ... «Institute of Modern Russia, Jul 15»
9
We have failed the victims of 7/7
... Muslims have met with discrimination – “subject to unprecedented scrutiny; tagged as a suspect community, the enemy within, a 'fifth column' ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
10
As Others See It: Another crackdown in China
Mr. Xi's actions reflect paranoia about the threat of nongovernmental organizations as some kind of “fifth column,” subversive forces that could ... «Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Fifth column [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/fifth-column>. Apr 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
EN