coup d'état

noun

variants or coup d'etat
Definition of coup d'étatnext
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
  1. coup
  2. overthrow
  3. revolt
  4. insurrection
  5. uprising
  6. insurgency
Noun
  • The coup brought General Abdourahamane Tiani to power, with his military junta vowing to restore security.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The movie would star Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda in one of the most celebrating casting coups of its day.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 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
  • Democratic primaries have been shaped by a progressive revolt against the party establishment.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Could Infantino’s close relationship with the president be adding even more fuel to the revolt?
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 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
  • Al-Assir gained support in southern Lebanon for his vocal criticism of the powerful Shiite militant Hezbollah group’s involvement in Syria’s uprising that turned into civil war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of uprising
Noun
  • In 2005, for example, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari brought Indonesian officials together with exiled Acehnese separatist leaders to end a decades-long insurgency in Aceh, a province on Sumatra.
    — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Continue reading … PARTY DIVIDED — Schumer dealt another blow as progressive insurgency scores win in key Senate battle.
    — , FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurgency

Browse Nearby Words

coup
coup d'état
coup d'oeil
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Cite this Entry

“Coup d'état.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20d%27%C3%A9tat. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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