variants
or coup d'etat
as in coup
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Recent Examples of coup d'état
The Minister of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, participates in the plenary session of the Supreme Court (STF) in Brazil on Feb. 20, 2025, after the Attorney General's Office (PGR) indicts the former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a coup d'etat in 2023.
—
Dan Mangan, CNBC, 30 July 2025
General Muhammadu Buhari, dictator of Nigeria, following a successful coup d'etat against Shehu Shagari.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
Viktor learns of a coup d'etat in his country while at New York's JFK Airport, and, after the U.S. refuses to recognize his passport, he is forced to stay at the airport's terminal.
—Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Spain The former king of Spain, Juan Carlos, saw an explosion of popularity in the 1980s after helping to foil a coup d'etat attempt.
—Justin Klawans, theweek, 27 Feb. 2024
The ceremony came after Nguema seized power in a coup d'etat last week, in the latest usurping of control in African countries.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 4 Sep. 2023
Also in attendance at that event was the junta leader who seized power in Guinea a little over a year after Mali's coup d'etat.
—Krista Larson, ajc, 24 Sep. 2022
Dan Mangan, CNBC, 30 July 2025
General Muhammadu Buhari, dictator of Nigeria, following a successful coup d'etat against Shehu Shagari.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
Viktor learns of a coup d'etat in his country while at New York's JFK Airport, and, after the U.S. refuses to recognize his passport, he is forced to stay at the airport's terminal.
—Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Spain The former king of Spain, Juan Carlos, saw an explosion of popularity in the 1980s after helping to foil a coup d'etat attempt.
—Justin Klawans, theweek, 27 Feb. 2024
The ceremony came after Nguema seized power in a coup d'etat last week, in the latest usurping of control in African countries.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 4 Sep. 2023
Also in attendance at that event was the junta leader who seized power in Guinea a little over a year after Mali's coup d'etat.
—Krista Larson, ajc, 24 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup d'état
Noun
-
Authorities, including the president’s office, dismissed news reports at the time linking the move to a coup plot and as the reason for the cancellation of Independence Day commemorations that month.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
After seizing power in 2021, the military repeatedly justified the coup by alleging fraud in the 2020 election and promising a temporary return to military rule.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Smith Act, passed in 1940, curbed speech that advocated the violent overthrow of the government.—
Stephanie A,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
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Their tight defense forced an overthrow, and Venice’s receiver tipped the ball into Allen’s hands.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images One popular narrative is that retail investors who joined the GameStop phenomenon did so as a revolt against Wall Street.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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The former Democratic senator from Montana compared the current political atmosphere to the year the party picked up 12 Senate seats and the White House thanks to a Depression-era revolt against Republicans.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Yoon is on trial for insurrection over his brief declaration of martial law in 2024, as well as a number of other allegations.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
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But the insurrection never ended.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The perception is that the police and military don’t feel empowered to fully discharge their duties given lingering public revulsion at their role in the July uprising.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
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In Derek Jarman’s 1978 film Jubilee, the punk-scene celebrity Jordan cheekily refers to a Situationist slogan that had appeared on the walls of the Latin Quarter in Paris during the uprising of May 1968.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In April, 1992, Fujimori asserted full autocratic powers and drastically stepped up the counter-insurgency operation.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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An insurgency that ties the United States down in Venezuela would delight Beijing and Russia.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coup d'état.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20d%27%C3%A9tat. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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