as in successes
a successful result brought about by hard work
winning that big contract was a real coup
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Recent Examples of coups
Six years later, Air Mail has survived inflation, recession, a pandemic, one and a quarter Trump presidencies, the January 6 insurrection, foreign wars, coups (both abroad and at home), wildfires, Kardashians, ICE raids, and many other disasters.
—
Graydon Carter, Air Mail, 1 Nov. 2025
With recent coups across West and Central Africa, the risk of instability here looms large.
—NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
In at least three Sahel states — Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — military juntas that came to power in coups, notably Niger and Mali, have expelled Western military forces.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has been led by four different military rulers and seen three coups.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
International pressure to restore civilian rule was quite strong in the 1990s and 2000s, contributing to the decline of African military coups.
—John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
Nowhere have these coups and revolutions promoted and funded by NED (and the CIA itself) been even remotely successful.
—Ron Paul, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Other African leaders would have terms either too short, broken by coups or assassinations, or too long, extended by a refusal to leave office; Nkrumah’s tenure somehow managed both.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
The country has endured 14 military coups, from the 1889 coup that ended the monarchy and gave birth to the Republic of Brazil to Bolsonaro’s failed 2022 attempt to prevent Lula from taking power.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2025
Graydon Carter, Air Mail, 1 Nov. 2025
With recent coups across West and Central Africa, the risk of instability here looms large.
—NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
In at least three Sahel states — Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — military juntas that came to power in coups, notably Niger and Mali, have expelled Western military forces.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has been led by four different military rulers and seen three coups.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
International pressure to restore civilian rule was quite strong in the 1990s and 2000s, contributing to the decline of African military coups.
—John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
Nowhere have these coups and revolutions promoted and funded by NED (and the CIA itself) been even remotely successful.
—Ron Paul, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Other African leaders would have terms either too short, broken by coups or assassinations, or too long, extended by a refusal to leave office; Nkrumah’s tenure somehow managed both.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
The country has endured 14 military coups, from the 1889 coup that ended the monarchy and gave birth to the Republic of Brazil to Bolsonaro’s failed 2022 attempt to prevent Lula from taking power.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coups
Noun
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His successes on behalf of the American people will be imprinted upon the fabric of America and will be felt by every other Administration that comes after him.—
Sirena Bergman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Recently, Moore caught up with PEOPLE in October and revealed the one thing that's still on her career bucket list after more than two decades in Hollywood filled with successes that span music, movies and beyond.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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It’s been a really fun journey the past four years, to be able to celebrate each other’s accomplishments.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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After being sworn in, the Boston Democrat delivered her inaugural address to the crowd, highlighting the accomplishments from her first term.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The interface incorporates gamification elements such as badges, achievements, and cocktail discovery missions tied to different locations.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coups. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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