Definition of putsch
: a secretly plotted and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government
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Recent Examples of putsch from the Web
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The murky origins and circumstances of the putsch are still the subject of fevered debate, and Gulen's mooted extradition to his homeland seems nowhere in sight.
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But any trace of American involvement in the putsch had been wiped from the report, causing historians to call it a fraud.
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But any trace of American involvement in the putsch had been wiped from the report, causing historians to call it a fraud.
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But any trace of American involvement in the putsch had been wiped from the report, causing historians to call it a fraud.
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David King's engrossing and well-researched new book provides context explaining why so many tolerated Hitler before and after his failed beer hall putsch.
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Nigeria has had six successful coups and several failed putsches since gaining independence from the U.K. in 1960.
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Without firing a shot or spilling any blood, the military staged its second coup in eight years — and its 12th successful putsch since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.
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As for Trump’s chances of effecting a fascist putsch, does anyone seriously imagine that his populist creed stands a chance of winning over the elites who populate our universities, news media, cultural institutions and entertainment industry?
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'putsch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
In its native Swiss German, putsch originally meant "knock" or "thrust," but these days both German and English speakers use it to refer to the kind of government overthrow also known as a coup d'état. Putsch debuted in English shortly before the tumultuous Kapp Putsch of 1920, in which Wolfgang Kapp and his right-wing supporters attempted to overthrow the German Weimar government. Putsch attempts were common in Weimar Germany, so the word appeared often in the stories of the English journalists who described the insurrections. Adolf Hitler himself even attempted a putsch (known as the Beer Hall Putsch), but he ultimately gained control of the German government via other means.
Origin and Etymology of putsch
German
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