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sleeper cell
noun
: a terrorist cell whose members work under cover in an area until sent into action
Examples of sleeper cell in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
America's intense fear of terrorism after the 9/11 attacks landed hard on the shoulders of Hamid Hayat, whose California upbringing was shattered when he was accused of being part of a terrorist sleeper cell.
—Fifth & Mission Podcast, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2022
Authorities never found a terrorist sleeper cell in Lodi.
—Deepa Fernandes, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Sep. 2021
The idea is that Valentina, working for HYDRA, a Russian sleeper cell or some other entity, is essentially the anti-Phil Coulson, assembling a team of potential foils for what’s left of the Avengers.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 17 Apr. 2021
Now American and Israeli officials say the operation was the work of Iran, whose intelligence service activated a sleeper cell in Addis Ababa last fall with orders to gather intelligence also on the embassies of the United States and Israel.
—New York Times, 15 Feb. 2021
There was no claim of responsibility by the Islamic State, which was largely defeated in Iraq in 2017 but still maintains sleeper cells to target Iraqi forces.
—Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2020
Their accounts offer a rare glimpse into the world of Islamic State’s sleeper cells, which lie at the heart of its efforts to reassert its influence in the cities from which it’s been driven out.
—Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2019
Still, extremist sleeper cells have continued to launch attacks in Iraq and Syria and are believed to be responsible for targeted killings against local officials and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
—Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sleeper cell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1968, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near sleeper cell
Cite this Entry
“Sleeper cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleeper%20cell. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
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