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

Little has been known about her condition since the coup, which triggered a civil war that has killed about 100,000 people, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event data, a conflict monitoring organization.

— Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
An early journalistic coup was when Frank exposed the New York Times’ Style section had printed slang from Seattle’s grunge scene that Sub Pop employee Megan Jasper had made up.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of coup

Noun

The tapes were hidden for decades after the 1996 overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president and a leader of the African liberation movement.

— Jack Dunn, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Taiwan’s National Day is held on the anniversary ‌of a 1911 uprising that led to the overthrow of China’s last imperial dynasty and the establishment of ‌the Republic of China.

— Reuters, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of overthrow

Noun

That might have caused something of a revolt among American NFL fans wanting to drive down the road to their local team's stadium and enjoy America's game – in America.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
The combination of slow growth, high inflation, profligate spending, and soaring debt has stirred a revolt in financial markets.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of revolt

Noun

The insurrection drew immediate and obvious parallels to the United States, which, during much of the past decade, has lurched alongside Brazil through a strange hall of mirrors.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
Beyond calling and readying Americans for a fight against the insurrection, Lincoln also outlined the meaning and memory of the conflict about to commence.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

Just weeks after the experiment ended, a prison uprising at Attica Correctional Facility in New York was thwarted with deadly force, resulting in 43 deaths.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
France's post-revolution history is not a solid story of protests and reforms, but of cycles of popular uprisings, repression, mobilization and political concessions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of uprising

Browse Nearby Words

coup

coup d'état

coup d'oeil

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Style

“Coup d'état.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20d%27%C3%A9tat. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of coup d'état

noun

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