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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coups de main
Noun
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Matthew and Christina were both in critical condition following the shooting, their family said in a GoFundMe set up immediately after the attacks.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025 -
Long forward passes in transition are common, rather than expansive, intricate attacks.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ising’s case is among a series of incidents The Star has reported on in recent months in which fire department employees charged with serious crimes — including assaults, a felony drug case and multiple DWIs — were allowed to remain on the job, some for years.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
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Vril and Agartha have thrived in part because of the way the editors mix brainrot and bigotry, disguising their ideological assaults in the fried fog of GifTok rap gibberish.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Another 564 Israelis were killed in raids carried out by Palestinians coming from the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in the same period.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the ICE raids.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
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Since October 2023, Israel's ground and air offensives in Gaza have displaced more than 2 million people and killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to the AP.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Seattle’s defense has made fans think of the glory days when the Legion of Boom was enraging offenses around the league in the early 2010s.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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Gun crime is particularly low, with the country recording 5,103 offenses involving firearms over this past year, according to government statistics.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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An earlier vote to limit the strikes in the Caribbean failed.—
Claudia Grisales,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
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Taiwan produces upwards of 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, and any damage to these facilities—whether by Chinese strikes or defensive actions—would severely disrupt global technology supply chains.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Stars struggled to find the target on their three attempts against Sergei Bobrovsky in the shootout.—
Adam H. Beasley,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
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Shot attempts were 25-12, scoring chances were 11-5 and HD chances were 3-0.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The proceedings seem to be going fine until unexpected tensions and aggressions start to break out among the dancers.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
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For Brasília, Beijing constitutes an indispensable strategic partner, but Washington, even after its recent aggressions, remains an irreplaceable global power.—
HUSSEIN KALOUT,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Coups de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coups%20de%20main. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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