putsch
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of putsch
1915–20; < German Putsch, originally Swiss German: literally, violent blow, clash, shock; introduced in sense “coup” in standard German through Swiss popular uprisings of the 1830s, especially the Zurich revolt of Sept. 1839
Explanation
When a group rises up and overthrows a government, it is sometimes called a putsch, or — more commonly — a coup. This word shares a pronunciation with an informal term for dog, pooch, but there the similarity ends. A putsch is a quick and dirty overthrow of a government; it tends to be used most often for places that experience a lot of these. Putsch comes from the Swiss German word of the same spelling, which means "revolt," or "a sudden blow or push." Another word for a putsch is a coup d'état.
Vocabulary lists containing putsch
Persepolis
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The Faithful Spy
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Sapiens
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Aung San's wartime comrade Ne Win, who had taken the helm of the armed forces after the leader's assassination in murky circumstances, swooped in in a putsch he justified as protection against Myanmar's disintegration.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
In Niger, the circumstances surrounding the 2023 putsch were equally distinctive.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
Though they largely put down the putsch, many then turned their wrath on Alawites, a largely impoverished minority that constitutes some 10% of the country’s population and which dominated Assad-era security services and state bureaucracy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025
The same morning, as news of the putsch spread across Niamey, former president Issoufou contacted Tiani, offering to serve as a mediator, two people familiar with the matter said.
From Reuters ● Aug. 6, 2023
Not like the pianists of today who prance up and down the key-board with passages in which they have exercised themselves,—putsch, putsch, putsch;—what does that mean?
From Beethoven, the Man and the Artist, as Revealed in His Own Words by Krehbiel, Henry Edward
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
