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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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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The families allege that the attacker used ChatGPT to plan the attack, and that the company did not do anything to stop it.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
13 June 2026
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And, in any case, many legal experts say the boat attacks amount to extrajudicial killings in violation of international law.—
Will Weissert,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Noun
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Curiel sued for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
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The lawsuit was filed on the bases of negligence, assault, battery, outrage and strict liability, seeking damages in excess of $75,000.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Barreto noted that Pratt didn’t take a strong stand against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, hurting his appeal to Latinos.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
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The party's nominees for the state's top races issued statements Friday saying they were troubled by the FBI raid.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Noun
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But that move accelerated following Armenia’s crushing military defeat by Azerbaijan in 2023, when the latter launched an offensive to retake Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority ethnic Armenian breakaway enclave.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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Orlopp’s response was to go on the offensive, raising profitability targets and announcing plans to cut around 3,000 jobs by the end of the decade, essentially making the case that Commerzbank doesn’t need rescuing.—
Sam Birchall,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The Cubs’ Javier Assad, by contrast, shut down the Giants’ offense for a second straight outing, tossing six scoreless innings with five strikeouts to one walk.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
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The Dodgers bullpen bent but did not break, with the help of late-inning insurance runs from the offense.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Noun
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The Spurs went on an offensive onslaught, breaking numerous NBA Finals records in the process.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
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So far, though, the onslaught of diners shows no signs of slowing.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
Noun
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The discussions continued despite an overnight exchange of strikes between the US and Iran that threatened to complicate the diplomatic effort.—
Arpita Dasika,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
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On Wednesday night, Detmers threw 71% of his pitches for strikes, including first-pitch strikes to 16 of 22 hitters.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
Noun
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That order has been faltering, flouted repeatedly by the powerful who have faced no consequences for aggression, leaving the world overall more dangerous for everyone else.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
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The analyst added that Starlink’s aggression could actually strengthen AST SpaceMobile.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coup de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20main. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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