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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In the far-western Lviv region, a large fire broke out at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych after a drone attack that also cut electricity to parts of the city.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
29 June 2025
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Videos posted on Telegram show a large fire near Kremenchuk after the attack.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
29 June 2025
Noun
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This Pride month, in the face of a U.S. administration that is targeting the community and with immigration raids as a backdrop, actions like his have become more important than ever.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vogue,
25 June 2025
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Julia and Jock told me the event was cathartic, especially with everything going on: the ICE raids, the casual erasure of trans people.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
25 June 2025
Noun
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While Quansah gave away a penalty to make it 2-1, England defended Spain’s second half onslaught incredibly well both collectively and individually.—
Nnamdi Onyeagwara,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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Shops have been closed across Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught.—
Joseph Krauss,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.—
Jacky Wong,
WSJ,
6 Feb. 2023
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Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Born into the cult, Prophet draws comparisons between the group’s apocalyptic dogma (braced for a Soviet nuclear strike, the church built extensive Montana bomb shelters in the early 1990s), and Christian Nationalism, QAnon and the MAGA movement.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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While the American strikes may have stalled Iran’s near-term ability to make a bomb, some of those same facilities might not have existed if Trump hadn’t abandoned an earlier nuclear deal in his first term, experts told The New York Times.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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But in Gaza, Israel’s offensive has shown no signs of abating, with Israeli fire killing hundreds of people there since the Iran-Israel conflict began.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
25 June 2025
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Then over the weekend, the U.S. joined the Israeli offensive directly — bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities.—
Alex Leff,
NPR,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Trump has talked in the past about still experiencing a sensation in his ear after he was shot in an assassination attempt last July in Butler, Pennsylvania.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Barcelos picked up eight takedowns and nearly 10 minutes of control time and added two submission attempts during the matchup.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
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The New York Yankees are losing their stranglehold in the American League East division as their leading offense suddenly grows cold.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
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With their one-city road trip starting on a sour note, the Yankees and their untimely offense will face Chase Burns, MLB.com’s 11th-best prospect, on Tuesday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coup de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20main. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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