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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Example Sentences

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

The dark comedy, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as a pair of CIA officers sent to Easter Island ahead of the 1973 coup in Chile, will have its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival next month.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
Phillips flew the coup in Philadelphia too, leaving the Eagles to sign a four-year, $120 million contract ($60 million fully guaranteed) with the Carolina Panthers.

— Omar Kelly August 6, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of coup

Noun

Almost a century after the overthrow of the goddess Akaso and her kinfolk of local deities by the arrival of white missionaries, their disciples were stepping up to root out what was left.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
The two had been in an uneasy alliance ruling the country following the 2019 overthrow of Sudan’s longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power since 1989.

— Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of overthrow

Noun

Google DeepMind is struggling to retain its technical edge, keep hold of top researchers, and contain an employee revolt over its defense work.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
And, at least for now, despite the threat of revolt, internal pressure within FIFA appears to have abated.

— Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of revolt

Noun

As Port falls in with a group of conspirators preparing for the insurrection, the book takes on a hallucinatory, digressive quality, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and illusion.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Stephen Colbert’s award-winning Late Show was canceled in a move that many have labeled political appeasement, and the flagship evening newscast baselessly recast the January 6 insurrection as a partisan squabble.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

Also sentenced to death in the same case was Assad’s maternal cousin Atef Najib, who was convicted of overseeing a crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that led to the uprising and later the civil war.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Also sentenced to death in the same case was Assad’s maternal cousin Atef Najib for leading the crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that led to the uprising and later the civil war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

Armed insurgencies by Boko Haram in the north and separatists in the west, along with a stagnant economy, have left many young people disillusioned with the leader.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Boko Haram has waged an insurgency for nearly two decades, killing tens of thousands of Nigerians.

— Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurgency

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 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of coup d'état

noun

Example Sentences

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