coup

[koo]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR coup ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural coups [kooz; French koo] /kuz; French ku/.

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

(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.

coup d'état.

Idioms

count coup, (among Plains Indians of North America)

to perform a coup.
to recount or relate the coups one has performed.

Origin of coup

1640–50; < French: literally, blow, stroke, Old French colp < Late Latin colpus, Latin colaphus < Greek kólaphos

coup

[kohp, koop]

verb (used with or without object) Scot.

overturn; upset.

Origin of coup

1350–1400; Middle English coupe to pay for < Old Norse kaupa to buy, barter; cognate with Old English cēapian, German kaufen. See cheap

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for coup

action, plot, revolution, overthrow, stratagem, accomplishment, upset, stroke, exploit, stunt, deed, feat

Examples from the Web for coup

Contemporary Examples of coup

As it happened, the coup members found the State House “fortified with additional soldiers.”
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country
Jacob Siegel
January 6, 2015
Most coup members “lived in the diaspora in the United States and Germany,” Faal said.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country
Jacob Siegel
January 6, 2015
That Stone would slander the democratic, pro-Western, EuroMaidan revolution as a CIA coup is no surprise.
Oliver Stone’s Latest Dictator Suckup
James Kirchick
January 5, 2015
Perhaps in part because it was an FBI coup, the CIA stepped in with its high-priced psychologist.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built
Michael Daly
December 12, 2014
Had the coup succeeded, the Qatar problem might have become still worse than it is.
U.S. Ally Qatar Shelters Jihadi Moneymen
Jamie Dettmer
December 10, 2014

Historical Examples of coup

He preferred to wait and see what coup it was she was now preparing.
Cleo The Magnificent
Louis Zangwill
He was taken prisoner by the insurgents at the time of the Coup d'Etat.
A Zola Dictionary
J. G. Patterson
He sat down at the table and began a warm panegyric on the Coup d'Etat.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
Eugene briefly announced the complete success of the Coup d'Etat.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
You had just planned a coup on the Stock Exchange which promised you immense rewards.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic

British Dictionary definitions for coup

coup

noun

a brilliant and successful stroke or action

short for coup d'état

Word Origin for coup

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

coup

cowp

Scot

verb

to turn or fall over

noun

a rubbish tip

Word Origin for coup

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

coup

verb

Scot to barter; traffic; deal

Word Origin for coup

C14: from Old Norse kaupa to buy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for coup

c.1400, from Old French coup, colp "a blow, strike" (12c.), from Medieval Latin colpus, from Vulgar Latin colapus, from Latin colaphus "a cuff, box on the ear," from Greek kolaphos "a blow, slap." Meaning "a sudden decisive act" is 1852, short for coup d'etat. In Modern French the word is a workhorse, describing everything from a pat on the back to a whipping, and is used as well of thunder, gusts of wind, gunshots, and chess moves.

coup in Culture

coup

[(kooh)]

In politics, an abbreviation for coup d'état.