COUP D'ÉTAT Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

coup d'état

noun

variants or coup d'etat

Definition of coup d'état

as in coup

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of coup d'état General Muhammadu Buhari, dictator of Nigeria, following a successful coup d'etat against Shehu Shagari. — Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 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 See All Example Sentences for coup d'état

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup d'état

Noun

Carlisle has found himself in Chile circa August 1973 for one last gig, helping to set the stage for a coup that will turn the South American country into an authoritarian nightmare for nearly two decades.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2026
The seat of the Chilean president, this palace was bombed during the coup, resulting in one of the most memorable images from that day.

— Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of coup

Noun

By Thursday morning, a rebellion by several members of Peña's own conservative Colorado Party had become a party-wide revolt.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
The Texas revolt will, in the long run, likely have an impact on national politics as profound as California’s transformation away from Pete Wilson–era GOP dominance in the 1990s.

— Sasha Abramsky, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of revolt

Noun

Trump spent the day at the White House watching coverage, watching Fox News, trying to give himself an insurrection.

— Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2026
By then, graffiti had been scrubbed from the central monument that pays tribute to the French Republic, including its tradition of insurrection.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

On March 5, following an uprising against the administration’s mass-deportation effort that culminated in two protesters being killed by ICE agents in Minnesota, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was axed.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026
One—a 1962 uprising in Brunei—had mistakenly been left out of the previous dataset.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of uprising

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coup

coup d'état

coup d'oeil

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“Coup d'état.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20d%27%C3%A9tat. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of coup d'état

noun

Example Sentences

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