coup de main

[ koo duh-man ]

noun,plural coups de main [koo duh-man]. /ku dəˈmɛ̃/. French.
  1. a surprise attack; a sudden development.

Origin of coup de main

1
Literally, “blow from the hand”

Words Nearby coup de main

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use coup de main in a sentence

  • This was done before Vendome could reach the place, which was thus secured against a coup de main.

    The Cornet of Horse | G. A. Henty
  • Doffen, then, ought to have realised that the moment was not opportune for a coup de main.

    Dry Fish and Wet | Anthon Bernhard Elias Nilsen
  • We took the citadel, after a slight fusillade, and by a coup de main.

    Napoleon's Letters to Josephine | Henry Foljambe Hall
  • Such a place should never be exposed to the coup-de-main of an enemy.

  • I found our vessel thoroughly secured by the imps, who had taken every precaution to guard against a coup-de-main upon our part.

British Dictionary definitions for coup de main

coup de main

/ French (ku də mɛ̃) /


nounplural coups de main (ku də mɛ̃)
  1. mainly military an attack that achieves complete surprise

Origin of coup de main

1
literally: blow with the hand

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