Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

countercoup

American  
[kaun-ter-koo] / ˈkaʊn tərˌku /

noun

  • countercoups
    plural
  1. a coup aimed at the replacement of a government that itself achieved power through an earlier coup.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of countercoup

First recorded in 1960–65; counter- + coup 1


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.

See Examples For:

The king and his family then relocated to northern Greece, seeking to lead a countercoup.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 11, 2023

A few months later, he was forced to flee the country after leading an unsuccessful countercoup against the then military junta.

From Reuters ● Jan. 10, 2023

Riyadh was so outraged by the 1995 coup that it tried to reinstall Khalifa with a countercoup a year later.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 4, 2017

Eight months later, a countercoup mounted by King Constantine II failed.

From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2010

Six months later, a Northern countercoup thrust him into power.

From Time Magazine Archive

Because Sudan’s history since independence in 1956 has been marked by revolutions, dictatorships, coups and countercoups, many Sudanese have a revolutionary mind-set, but even more have become hardened pragmatists.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 20, 2021

West Africa has long been riddled by coups and countercoups.

From Washington Post ● May 31, 2015

He was able to end a disruptive cycle of coups and countercoups that had followed the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, whose repressive regime was overthrown by military generals in 1963.

From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2011

In the years after it gained independence from the French in 1945, Syria underwent a generation of coups and countercoups.

From Time Magazine Archive

As with so many countries born in the past 40 years, Syria's modern history has been a saga of coups and countercoups.

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training