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 FischettiExamples 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
Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Five months earlier, el-Fattah had been released on parole from the same facility, which holds hundreds of opponents of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has ruled Egypt since taking power following a military coup twelve years ago.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
Mosaddegh was toppled from his seat in a 1953 coup led by the Iranian army and backed by the U.K. and the U.S.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 May 2025
There has been a plot against Sisi, in the form of a half-baked military coup, and George is right in the thick of it.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2025
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Noun
The Alexander-Arnold coup sees Madrid president Florentino Perez once more land a big name for free in terms of there being no transfer fee, around 12 months since Kylian Mbappe joined the 15-time Champions League winners from Paris Saint-Germain after his terms expired at the Parc des Princes.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Five months earlier, el-Fattah had been released on parole from the same facility, which holds hundreds of opponents of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has ruled Egypt since taking power following a military coup twelve years ago.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
Mosaddegh was toppled from his seat in a 1953 coup led by the Iranian army and backed by the U.K. and the U.S.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 May 2025
There has been a plot against Sisi, in the form of a half-baked military coup, and George is right in the thick of it.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for coup
Cite this Entry
“Coup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coup. Accessed 3 Jun. 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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