coup

1 of 2

noun

ˈkü 

plural coups ˈküz 

1

: 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

2

: 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

see also coup de grâce

coup

2 of 2

verb

ˈkōp 

couped; couping; coups

chiefly Scotland

: overturn, upset

Synonyms

Noun

• accomplishment
• achievement
• acquirement
• attainment
• baby
• success
• triumph

Examples of coup in a Sentence

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

By age four, I’d been expelled from preschool for peeling the paint off the walls after leading nap-time coups. —Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024

That same year, Chile's socialist president, Salvador Allende, was ousted in a U.S.-backed coup. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024

Three years after the military seized power in a coup, the economic situation in the country has rapidly deteriorated to a point where the middle class is at risk of being wiped out and families are forced to cut back on food, health and education due to soaring inflation, the report found. —Helen Regan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

According to his indictment, government prosecutors believe Rocha was recruited by Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence (known as DGI in Spanish) around 1973 in Chile, the same year socialist Chilean President Salvador Allende was ousted in a violent coup, and Rocha graduated from Yale. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024

Testimony from senior military commanders published last month implicated Bolsonaro, a Donald Trump–style populist, in a coup attempt. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

The whole series builds to this mostly successful coup. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024

After Stroessner was forced from power in 1989 in a military coup, Dr. Almada returned to the capital city of Asunción and uncovered a state archive of paperwork and recordings detailing decades of torture and killing. —Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Then, in February 2021, Myanmar’s government fell to a military coup. —Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, blow, stroke — more at cope entry 1

Verb

Middle English, to strike, from Anglo-French couper — more at cope entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

circa 1572, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing coup

• counter-coup
• coup de grace
• coup de grâce
• coup de main
• coup d'etat
• coup de theatre
• coup de théâtre
• coup d'oeil
• coup d'état

Kids Definition

coup

noun

ˈkü

plural coups

ˈküz

1

: a brilliant, sudden, and usually highly successful action

2

: coup d'état

Etymology

Noun

from French coup "blow, stroke"

Medical Definition

coup

noun

ˈkü 

: injury occurring on the side of an organ (as the brain) on which a blow or impact is received compare contrecoup