coup de grâce

\ ˌkü-də-ˈgräs

How to pronounce coup de grâce (audio)

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variants: or coup de grace

plural coups de grâce or coups de grace\ ˌkü-də-ˈgräs

How to pronounce coup de grâce (audio)

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Definition of coup de grâce

1 : a death blow or death shot administered to end the suffering of one mortally wounded

2 : a decisive finishing blow, act, or event The decision to cut funding is the coup de grâce to the governor's proposal.

Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about coup de grâce

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Did You Know?

Borrowed directly from French and first appearing in English at the end of the 17th century, "coup de grâce" (literally, a "stroke of grace" or "blow of mercy") originally referred to a mercy killing, or the act of putting to death a person or animal who was severely injured and unlikely to recover. (In some contexts the term is used to refer to the final act of executing a convicted criminal.) Less than fifty years later, "coup de grâce" had come to mean "an act or event that puts a definite end to something." Other "coup" terms that have made the jump from French to English include "coup de main," for a sudden, forceful attack, and "coup d'état" for a violent overthrow of a government usually by a small group.

Examples of coup de grâce in a Sentence

The legislature's decision to cut funding has administered the coup de grâce to the governor's proposal. the prosecutor presented his coupe de grâce—a videotape of the beating

Recent Examples on the Web The coup de grace for the impaired treasures looms with climate change and assaults of rising sea levels, hotter weather, more intense storms and punishing cycles of droughts and deluges. — Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, "Race to save 3 Florida treasures: Time running out for Apalachicola River, Ocklawaha River and Shark River Slough | Part 1 of Special Series," 9 Dec. 2020 But Peasley administered the coup de grace with four minutes left. — Eric Butler | Special To The Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah State football team beats New Mexico 41-27 for its first win of the season," 27 Nov. 2020 Gordon provided the coup de grace with a 57-yard scamper that gave Trinity a 49-10 advantage with 5:02 left in the third quarter, putting a bow on a present of payback. — Dallas News, "‘Payback was on our minds’: Euless Trinity avenges last two losses against Haltom with dominant 56-10 win," 27 Nov. 2020 But for one neighbor, the coup de grace proved to be 300 daffodils. — Thomas Jewell, cleveland, "Volunteers bring green thumbs to Cleveland Heights’ Noble neighborhood," 20 Oct. 2020 The coup de grace came early in the fourth quarter, when Sanders picked off a screen pass and returned it 69 yards for a score. — Greg Riddle, Dallas News, "No. 1 Denton Ryan overwhelms Arlington Martin as 5-star recruit Ja’Tavion Sanders puts on a show," 26 Sep. 2020 The coup de grace came just hours before Monday’s trade deadline: Clevinger, who averaged 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings the past two seasons and has a high-octane three-pitch mix worthy of a No. 1 starter and possible playoff ace. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "Padres going all in: San Diego lands starter Mike Clevinger in trade with Indians," 31 Aug. 2020 The coup de grace, however, comes during the chorus. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "The Beatles and the Sexual Revolution," 25 Aug. 2020 Encouraging, rather than requiring, such an unhelpful standard is merely the coup de grace. — Judith Martin, Washington Post, "Miss Manners: Discourage a chatty gym mate with a touch of drama," 8 Apr. 2020

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

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Dictionary Entries near coup de grâce

coup de maître

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Last Updated

13 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Coup de grâce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coup%20de%20gr%C3%A2ce. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

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