as in attacks
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coups de main
Noun
-
Kabul wants to hedge against its deteriorating relationship with its former patron Islamabad, which accuses the Taliban of harboring a separate but allied group that has carried out deadly attacks inside Pakistan.—
Happymon Jacob,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025 -
But Raducanu’s identity has been harder to maintain — or even define — against the best and most devastating attacks on the WTA Tour.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Chicago has emerged as a focal point in the national debate, with the city's leadership vocally opposing federal immigration crackdowns and raids.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The administration recently pressured Facebook to remove a page that tracks ICE raids.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His daughter-in-law particularly suffered from these nocturnal assaults and became ill.—
Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Pokrovsk likely remains Russia's priority axis, with the largest proportion of Russian assaults relative to the rest of the frontline.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The fighting followed strikes in the Afghan capital Kabul and the border province of Paktika last Thursday that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan, though Islamabad has not officially acknowledged the attacks.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Nationwide strikes and protests over Belgium’s reform plans caused flight disruptions at two major airports and troubles on public transport on Tuesday, with police there using tear gas and a water cannon to try to disperse crowds, The Associated Press reported.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Pineiro finished off the second half’s opening drive with a 43-yard field goal, pushing the lead to 13-3 and making him 17-of-17 on field-goal attempts since replacing Jake Moody in Week 2.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Owens led the Aggies with 69 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 attempts.—
Matt Jones,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Israel responded with relentless ground and air offensives in Gaza, displacing more than 2 million Palestinians and killing more than 67,600, according to Gaza health authorities.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Coups de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coups%20de%20main. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share