plural coups
ˈküz 
1
: a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics and especially the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group : coup d'état
In its first few hours, the coup seemed a terrifying confirmation of the power of the military, the police and, especially, the KGB.—
David Remnick
David RemnickBy nightfall, the troops had freed the captured President and ended the six-day-old coup, a military spokesman said.—Marlise Simons
Marlise Simons2
: a brilliant, sudden, and usually highly successful stroke or act
It's an impressive coup for the NCAA and its corporate sponsors to snag an artist with Springsteen's cachet for this event.—Chris Strauss
Chris StraussFrom time to time, the conspiracy groupies pull off a huge disinformation coup.—Alex Kozinski
Alex KozinskiForeseeing a publicity coup, chairman Roger Smith was determined to exhibit an electric car at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 1990.—Mark Fischetti
see also coup de grâce
Mark FischettiSynonyms
Examples of coup in a Sentence
Noun
It was a major coup when they got the Vice President to appear on their show for an interview.
winning that big contract was a real coup
Recent Examples on the Web
Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2025
Amid disparate motives and seething grudges, mission creep set in and the coup evolved into an assassination.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
When Roki Sasaki sat down for a sushi dinner with Dodgers officials and players last week, days before agreeing to sign with the club in one of the biggest coups of baseball’s offseason, Shohei Ohtani was one of several stars in attendance.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Although Beijing appeared to score a propaganda coup last week when hundreds of thousands of American TikTok users flooded to the social media app RedNote, observers say the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is worried about any cross-cultural exchanges happening online.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
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Noun
Another really quick side note: The family is plotting a coup against Rowan.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2025
Amid disparate motives and seething grudges, mission creep set in and the coup evolved into an assassination.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
When Roki Sasaki sat down for a sushi dinner with Dodgers officials and players last week, days before agreeing to sign with the club in one of the biggest coups of baseball’s offseason, Shohei Ohtani was one of several stars in attendance.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Although Beijing appeared to score a propaganda coup last week when hundreds of thousands of American TikTok users flooded to the social media app RedNote, observers say the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is worried about any cross-cultural exchanges happening online.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for coup
Dictionary Entries Near coup
Cite this Entry
“Coup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coup. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
coup
noun
: injury occurring on the side of an organ (as the brain) on which a blow or impact is received compare contrecoup
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