COUPS DE MAIN Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

coups de main

noun

plural of coup de main

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coups de main

Noun

Asif said the Houthis had intensified missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and expanded their control along Yemen's Red Sea coast.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
In the case of the Ratepayer Protection Act, Republicans were searching for an answer to Democratic attacks on data centers and the higher energy prices consumers fear will come from their construction.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

Another suspect in the 2023 attacks, Italian anti-fascist activist Ilaria Salis, was jailed in Hungary for over a year following the assaults, resulting in a diplomatic dispute between Rome and Budapest over her treatment in detention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors used the Idaho assaults to prove a pattern of abuse, and put a life sentence on the table.

— Olivia Young, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of assaults

Noun

Coleman recalled a recent New York Times article that highlighted how immigration raids this summer — which surpassed 50,000 arrests in July and August — received little public backlash compared to last year’s wave.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
In the United States, meanwhile, cities have come under siege by federal authorities carrying out sweeping anti-migrant raids.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of raids

Noun

With alarm bells ringing over potential Russian offensives — both digital and kinetic — in the coming months, vulnerable European nations must figure out if, and how, to respond.

— Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026
However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of offensives

Noun

In August 2024, seven more former union executives and employees — including Jones, his wife and son — were indicted for conspiracy to commit offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as other felonies.

— Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Five British men in their 20s were arrested Sunday on suspicion of explosives offenses and planning an act of terror, before being released on bail a day later.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of offenses

Noun

In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.

— Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.

— Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of onslaughts

Noun

Of course, amid the rise of streaming movies in the home coming out of the pandemic, followed by the 2023 Los Angeles writers and actors strikes, getting film lovers back into the Cranford Theater remained a challenge.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
Bryan’s pro-Palestinian stage gesture adds to a noticeable shift among mainstream artists speaking openly about their support for Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing strikes on Gaza.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of strikes

Noun

Then the botched attempts to lethally inject her became the dominant story.

— Michael Ruiz , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The trio of Eller with Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhard on his wings held its own with a 6-5 edge over the Sharks in shot attempts and 3-2 edge in shots on goal over about six minutes of ice time at five-on-five.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of attempts

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.

Browse Nearby Words

coups de grâce

coups de main

courage

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“Coups de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coups%20de%20main. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of coups de main

noun

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