coup de grâce

variants or coup de grace
Definition of coup de grâcenext
as in determinant
something (as a fact or argument) that is decisive or overwhelming the prosecutor presented his coupe de grâce—a videotape of the beating

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 de grâce The coup de grace came when fans pointed out that the Audio-Animatronic of Walt looks uncannily like Mike Lindell, staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and chief executive of pillow manufacturing company My Pillow. Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025 Israel softened up the target; America delivered the coup de grace. Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 July 2025 The coup de grace was delivered a minute into injury time as Mount seized on a poor clearance from Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala. Carl Anka, New York Times, 9 May 2025 The coup de grace will come some five billion years from now, when our expanding red giant sun engulfs and incinerates poor little Earth. Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 May 2025 The coup de grace came Thursday in a 6-4 Oilers’ win at a raucous Rogers Place, which has become a house of horrors for the Kings. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025 But then Abby delivered the coup de grace, stabbing him with the fire iron. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup de grâce
Noun
  • In my own research on Ebola, SARS and MERS, my colleagues and I have shown that the speed at which infected people are identified and removed from the community is one of the strongest determinants of outbreak size.
    John Drake, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
  • Above all else, the defense’s ability to adopt a new scheme with mostly returning personnel will be another key determinant of the Bills’ ceiling in 2026.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Noun
  • The company wants to be allowed to use a commercial crusher to process the rock on site, but says it wouldn’t be done frequently.
    Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
  • The rock crusher itself appeared to be a mobile unit, not a permanent one.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Then, his best effort came in the Game 6 clincher.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 7 May 2026
  • The Avalanche will be without defenseman Josh Manson, who missed the series clincher against the Los Angeles Kings last Sunday with an upper-body injury.
    CBS News, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Noun
  • These bed sheets are made from 100 percent cotton in a percale weave — the same fabric as the above mattress topper.
    Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
  • Plus, common violet leaves and blooms are edible and make intriguing salad toppers for anyone who’s interested in backyard foraging.
    Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 12 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Coup de grâce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20gr%C3%A2ce. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

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