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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As shown in The Athletic’s match dashboard below, City might have had more of the ball, but Arsenal created some excellent opportunities with an attack-minded approach at the Etihad.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Both Hezbollah and Israel have have defended their attacks and claimed that the other has violated the ceasefire.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He was taken into custody and transported to Norwalk police headquarters, where he was charged with two counts of criminal attempt at assault on a police officer, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and first-degree threatening.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
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They were originally used mostly to evacuate casualties and resupply troops, but increasingly also to conduct combat assault missions.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He is stripped of his business license, faces police raids and arrests, and is forced to shut down the testing centre.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The studio reportedly believes that 30% of the footage from the lost third act could be used in a sequel, including a police raid on Michael's Neverland Ranch.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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These threats are something Shojaei and her family know all too well — her brother Masoud, who is retired from playing, has had his assets frozen by the Iranian regime over recent weeks — while their neighbourhood was bombed by the US-Israeli offensive.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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More than 2,100 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to Lebanon's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Barea is now one of the top assistants on Denver’s staff, collaborating with Adelman on the offense.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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During a 7-on-7 period, Fox-Flores hauled in a nice sideline catch, one of the lone receptions the offense made in the period.—
Gabriel Duarte,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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By the early ‘60s, however, Hollywood was discovering that their bland, non-genre movies were fading before the onslaught of TV.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
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They were intimidated by the onslaught of reporters and the aggressiveness of some camera people.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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During their first meeting, at Mar-a-Lago, in 2017, Xi famously learned about American strikes on Syria.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The next pitch had to be a strike.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Minnesota is playing with aggression.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Throughout the regular season, Donte DiVincenzo was used to being the one who had to set the tone for Minnesota with his effort and aggression.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coup de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20main. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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