coup de grâce

American  

[koo d^uh grahs] / ku də ˈgrɑs /

noun

French.

coups de grâce plural

1. a death blow, especially one delivered mercifully to end suffering.

2. any finishing or decisive stroke.

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coup de grâce British  

/ ku də ɡrɑs /

noun

1. a mortal or finishing blow, esp one delivered as an act of mercy to a sufferer

2. a final or decisive stroke

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coup de grâce Cultural  

1. The final blow: “He had been getting deeper and deeper in debt; the fates delivered the coup de grâce when he died.” The phrase is French for “stroke of mercy.” It originally referred to the merciful stroke that put a fatally wounded person out of his misery or to the shot delivered to the head of a prisoner after he had faced a firing squad.

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Usage

What does coup de grâce mean? A coup de grâce is the final, decisive blow or strike—the deathblow or the knockout punch. It especially refers to one that’s considered merciful for putting someone out of their misery. Coup de grâce comes from French and literally means “stroke of mercy,” in which stroke refers to a physical blow, especially from a weapon. It can be used literally (and was formerly used in reference to executions). But it’s more often used figuratively to refer to an action that decisively brings something to an end, such as in sports when a team or player gets far enough ahead in scoring that the opponent can’t possibly come back to win. Coup de grâce is pronounced [ kooduh grahs ]. The proper plural form is coups de grâce. Example: That touchdown is certainly the coup de grâce that will knock the defending champions out of these playoffs.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• coups de grâce
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coup de grâce

Literally, “blow of mercy”

Example Sentences

Having Deborah decide to prolong her life with chemo because she could not resist mining this final seam of comedic gold was a coup de grace.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

Esmee Brugts opened the scoring in the second minute, with Kika Nazareth extending the lead before Putellas got her name on the scoreboard before Caroline Graham Hansen's coup de grace on the whistle.

From Barron's • Oct. 15, 2025

Clarence Seedorf then beat Edwin van der Sar from the edge of the area and Alberto Gilardino provided the coup de grace.

From BBC • May 6, 2025

And then Walz delivered the coup de grace by bringing up the absence of Mike Pence:

From Salon • Oct. 2, 2024

As the program developed, however, it was more like a coup de grace for an already ailing district.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson