as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the Continental Army's attack on the British-Hessian encampment at Trenton, New Jersey, ranks as one of the most brilliant coups de main of the war
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of coup de main
Ryan Reynolds walked arm in arm with Blake Lively, and there were polite air-kisses and an appearance by Martha Stewart—but like the film’s coup de main, the night was filled with surprises.
—
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2018
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup de main
Noun
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All three nuclear powers have established their own nuclear triad, consisting of ICBMs, submarines armed with ballistic missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft, which ensure their forces can survive a first strike and retaliate, thereby deterring a nuclear attack.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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But in the final weeks of the race, both campaigns traded personal attacks.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Other times, the mob leaned on more traditional crime tactics — robbery, extortion and assault, including a punch to one victim’s face — to force the card players to pay.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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He was sentenced to 17 years for armed kidnapping and 17 years for armed burglary with assault or battery.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Another 564 Israelis were killed in raids carried out by Palestinians coming from the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in the same period.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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These assets enable amphibious assaults, precision raids, and rapid response operations across the Caribbean theater.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The campaign began with an air offensive in January 1991, followed by a swift ground assault that expelled Iraqi forces within 100 hours.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Determined to stop the anti-imperial policies of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, British and French representatives met with Israeli officials in October 1956 to forge a secret agreement for a coordinated offensive against Egypt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Some 51,527 knife crime offenses were recorded by forces in England and Wales in the previous 12 months up until June 2025, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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The Boise State offense started uncharacteristically slowly at home on Saturday anyway, going three-and-out on two drives with Madsen, for minus-6 yards.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The play was blown up, coming nowhere close to first down yardage, and the onslaught began.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Oct. 2025
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For years local and federal investigators were stumped by who had sent the letters and were unable to prevent the onslaught of threats for more than a decade.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The strikes ended when the WGA reached an agreement with the AMPTP in September 2023, followed by SAG-AFTRA that November.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
2 Nov. 2025
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Still harder to prove, Jackson said, are the counts of assault on a peace officer stemming from the laser strikes, arguing that Farzam would not or could not have known what kind of aircraft was flying at the time.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In 2014, after Russia seized Crimea, President Obama imposed sanctions on the individuals and groups responsible for the aggression.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
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Tehran says these attacks confirm that Washington is pursuing aggression rather than diplomacy.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coup de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20main. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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