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

The administration has quietly deepened engagement with Mali’s military government despite years of strained relations following the country’s coups and growing partnership with Russia.

— Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 July 2026
John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell star in the black comedy as a pair of veteran CIA officers who, ahead of the 1973 Chilean coup, are sent far from the action to Easter Island.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026

Definition of coup

Noun

Unlike the Labour mainstream, which sought to alleviate inequality through democratic reform, Militant believed in the overthrow of British capitalism, by force if necessary.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
None of their bodies were recovered until after the 2003 overthrow of Hussein’s regime.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of overthrow

Noun

His position is no different from that of his counterparts in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, other South Asian nations which also faced Gen Z revolts that saw the exit of the existing order.

— Vasuki Shastry, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
The decision led to a revolt by New Hampshire, which has a state law requiring it to hold the first primary, and penalties that kept Biden off the ballot in the state's primary.

— Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 24 July 2026

Definition of revolt

Noun

Writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than twenty-five books on feminism, western and urban history, popular power, social change and insurrection, wandering and walking, hope and catastrophe.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
The 14th Amendment’s foundational principles include birthright citizenship, due process, equal protection under the law, and the prohibition for heads of state to engage in acts of insurrection.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 July 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

Read in the context of the uprising that produced it, however, the decision illustrates how resource extraction, racialized labor and the expansion of federal power had become intertwined.

— Edward D. Melillo, Fortune, 27 July 2026
In Kenya, veterans of the Mau Mau uprising won a settlement in which the British government would distribute £20 million in reparations to five thousand of their survivors.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 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 29 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of coup d'état

noun

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