coup d'état

noun \ ˌkü-(ˌ)dā-ˈtä , ˈkü-(ˌ)dā-ˌtä , -də- \

variants: or coup d'etat

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of coup d'état

plural coups d'état or coups d'etat play \ˌkü-(ˌ)dā-ˈtä, ˈkü-(ˌ)dā-ˌtä, -də-\

: a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics; especially : the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group

a military coup d'état of the dictator

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Recent Examples of coup d'état from the Web

May 2014 saw a coup d'etat and since, the country has been living under military rule, with no elections, civilians tried in military court, and a ban on even discussing politics.

— danielle mcnally, Marie Claire, "Meet the Woman Fighting for Democracy in Thailand," 9 Apr. 2018
The song recalls the Gwangju Democracy Movement of 1980, during which the residents of the city rose up in protest against the coup d'etat and martial rule of Chun Doo-Hwan.

— tamar herman, Billboard, "BTS' Most Political Lyrics: A Guide to Their Social Commentary on South Korean Society," 13 Feb. 2018
Lucia left Chile as a young adult in the 1970s, during the Chilean coup d'etat.

— kate scott, Chicago Reader, "Isabel Allende’s mystical new novel is a sly response to anti-immigrant fear," 25 Oct. 2017
Qualifying for the World Cup is a significant achievement for a country whose national team suffered when the 2011-12 and 2012-13 domestic seasons were canceled following the Port Said stadium disaster and the 2013 coup d'etat.

— henry young, CNN, "Egypt sent into raptures as country qualifies for first World Cup since 1990," 9 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coup d'état.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.