coup

¹

[koo]

noun

plural

coups 

1. a highly successful, unexpected stroke, act, or move; a clever action or accomplishment.

2. (among the Plains Indians of North America) a brave or reckless deed performed in battle by a single warrior, as touching or striking an enemy warrior without sustaining injury oneself.

3. coup d'état.

coup

²

[kohp, koop]

verb (used with or without object)

Scot.

1. to overturn; upset.

coup

¹

/ kuː /

noun

1. a brilliant and successful stroke or action

2. short for coup d'état

coup

²

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to turn or fall over

noun

1. a rubbish tip

coup

³

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to barter; traffic; deal

coup

1. In politics, an abbreviation for coup d'état.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coup¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French: literally, “a blow, stroke,” Old French colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus, from Greek kólaphos

Origin of coup²

First recorded in 1350–1400; likely originally a variant of cope

Word History and Origins

Origin of coup¹

C18: from French: blow, from Latin colaphus blow with the fist, from Greek kolaphos

Origin of coup²

C15: perhaps identical with obsolete cope to strike; see _cope ¹

Origin of coup³

C14: from Old Norse kaupa to buy

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. count coup, (among Plains Indians of North America)

   1. to perform a coup.

   2. to recount or relate the coups one has performed.

Example Sentences

Sunseri’s hiring was hailed as a coup for the Bruins given that he was co-offensive coordinator last season at Indiana, which averaged 47.8 points on the way to reaching the College Football Playoff.

From Los Angeles Times

That hiring of the hottest coaching candidate on the market was considered a coup, even if Kelly’s results in the six seasons that followed were largely disappointing.

From Los Angeles Times

Last year, Sacramento landed the opportunity to host a U.S. version of the event — a coup for the state capital, which will host it every two years for the next decade.

From Los Angeles Times

The latest move comes weeks after the ex-president, who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022, was sentenced to 27 years in jail after he was found guilty of plotting a coup.

From BBC

Bolsonaro was found guilty of plotting a coup earlier this month and has been sentenced to 27 years in prison.

From BBC

Related Words

• action 
• overthrow 
• plot 
• revolution 

When To Use

Why is coup trending?

On January 6, 2021, interest in the word coup spiked—corresponding with a 962% increase in search interest on Dictionary.com—after a mob of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building on the day Congress was set to certify the electoral vote count to confirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. Some journalists, political analysts, and politicians used the word coup to describe the events that occurred at the nation’s capitol.The word coup, in this context, is short for coup d’état, which literally means “stroke of state” in French. Due to its French origin, the final p is not pronounced, making the word sound identical to the word coo.https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1346947575975272448https://twitter.com/MaryLTrump/status/1346963110041505794https://twitter.com/RepPressley/status/1346937329928302593