coup

²coup

noun \ˈkü\

plural coups\ˈküz\

Definition of COUP

1

: a brilliant, sudden, and usually highly successful stroke or act

2

: coup d'état

Examples of COUP

1. It was a major coup when they got the Vice President to appear on their show for an interview.
2. <winning that big contract was a real coup>

Origin of COUP

French, blow, stroke — more at cope

First Known Use: 1791

Related to COUP

Synonyms: achievement, acquirement, attainment, baby, accomplishment, success, triumph

Antonyms: nonachievement

Related Words: blockbuster, hit, jackpot, megahit, miracle, smash, winner; conquest, gain, victory, win; skill; deed, feat, performance; arrival, completion, consummation, culmination, execution, fruition, fulfillment (or fulfilment), implementation, realization

Near Antonyms: botch, cock-up [British], mess, muddle, shambles; bummer, bust, catastrophe, debacle (also débâcle), disaster, dud, failure, fiasco, fizzle, flop, washout; disappointment, letdown, loss, setback

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Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Rhymes with COUP

blue, boo, brew, chew, clew, clue, coo, crew, cue, dew, do, doux, due, ewe, few, flu, flue, fou, glue, gnu, goo, hew, hue, Jew, Koo, lieu, loo, mew, moo, moue, mu, new, nu, ooh, pew, phew, pooh, q, queue, roux, rue, screw, shoe, shoo, shrew, Sioux, skew, slew, slough, slue, smew, sou, sous, spew, sprue, stew, strew, sue, Sue, thew, through, to, too, true, two, u, view, whew, who, woo, xu, yew, you, zoo