coup

1 of 2

noun

ˈkü

plural coups ˈküz

Synonyms of coup next

: a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics and especially the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group : coup d'état

In its first few hours, the coup seemed a terrifying confirmation of the power of the military, the police and, especially, the KGB.—

David Remnick

By nightfall, the troops had freed the captured President and ended the six-day-old coup, a military spokesman said.—

Marlise Simons

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

It's an impressive coup for the NCAA and its corporate sponsors to snag an artist with Springsteen's cachet for this event.—

Chris Strauss

From time to time, the conspiracy groupies pull off a huge disinformation coup.—

Alex Kozinski

Foreseeing a publicity coup, chairman Roger Smith was determined to exhibit an electric car at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 1990.—

Mark Fischetti

verb

ˈkōp

couped; couping; coups

chiefly Scotland

: overturn, upset

Example Sentences

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Honduras’ decision was the second foreign policy coup in a week for China, which brokered an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to reestablish diplomatic relations last week. —

Megan Janetsky And Marlon González, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Mar. 2023 Brokering the Iran-Saudi deal was a coup for Beijing. —

Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2023 The diplomatic rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran after years of facing off in proxy conflicts across the Middle East was a coup for China, which facilitated the agreement. —

Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2023 Reggie White: Signing in Green Bay was a coup for the organization that served as a harbinger of things to come. —

Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2023 Dimino considers the hiring of Dineen four years ago to be a coup for the city, not just for ABC. —

Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Mar. 2023 Sarah's stint as press secretary under President Donald Trump was a major career coup that brought with it intense scrutiny and round-the-clock work demands. —

Dwain Hebda, Arkansas Online, 26 Feb. 2023 What Davis didn’t explore was Alphand’s influence with Malraux and her insistence that the loan would be a public relations coup for France. —

David Nash, Town & Country, 22 Feb. 2023 Iger and Murdoch had initially agreed on a $52.4-billion all-stock deal for Fox, which several observers said would have been a coup for Disney. —

Meg Jamesstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2023

Verb

First, their sign up offer is excellent as new users can re-coup up to $1,000 in free bets if their bet losses. —

Doug Ziefel, Chicago Tribune, 2 Dec. 2022 This year's pace car is the second consecutive Chevy's Corvette Stingray, with last year's 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray coup the choice. —

Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 11 May 2021 See More

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