coup d'état

American  

[koo dey-tah, koo dey-ta] / ˌku deɪˈtɑ, ku deɪˈta /

noun

coups d'état plural

1. a sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force.

   Synonyms:

   uprising, revolution, rebellion, overthrow

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coup d'état British  

/ ku deta, ˈkuː deɪˈtɑː /

noun

1. a sudden violent or illegal seizure of government

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coup d'état Cultural  

1. A quick and decisive seizure of governmental power by a strong military or political group. In contrast to a revolution, a coup d'état, or coup, does not involve a mass uprising. Rather, in the typical coup, a small group of politicians or generals arrests the incumbent leaders, seizes the national radio and television services, and proclaims itself in power. Coup d'état is French for “stroke of the state” or “blow to the government.”

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• coups d'état
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coup d'état

1640–50; < French: literally, stroke concerning the state

Example Sentences

Elsewhere we learn that, during the 1978 coup d’état, the hotel’s chefs “whipped up special dishes, turning tender steaks and scrumptious cakes into weapons of distraction.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

“A coup d’état does not result from isolated acts or individual demonstrations lacking coordination, but rather from the actions of organized groups, equipped with resources and strategic capacity to confront and replace the incumbent power.”

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2025

“In time of coup d’état and autocracy in Africa, this election is an opportunity to reinforce a unique democracy in central Africa,” said Fred Bauma, executive director of Congolese research institute Ebuteli.

From Washington Times • Dec. 20, 2023

“After I started writing about the problem of the coup d’état, they didn’t invite me again,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2023

This was the coup d'état of the lower orders, the revolution of insects, executed by the bees, not only against those that robbed them, but against those that denied their intelligence.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 94, August, 1865 by Various