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

Four of the five justices found Bolsonaro guilty on five counts, including attempting to stage a coup, being part of an armed criminal organization and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.

From Salon

But prosecutors said he had started to plot to stay in power long before, proposing a coup to military commanders and sowing unfounded doubts about the electoral system.

From BBC

Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted of attempting a coup and leading an armed criminal group after losing the last election, which culminated in his supporters attacking government buildings.

From BBC

His lawyer was present in court but left after Justice Lúcia had declared his client guilty of the attempted coup and armed criminal conspiracy, even before she had finished speaking.

From BBC

The former PM was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and spent years living in self-imposed exile, mostly in Dubai.

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