coup

¹ American  

[koo] / ku /

noun

• coups
  plural

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.

---

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.

coup ² American  

[kohp, koop] / koʊp, kup /

verb (used with or without object)

Scot.

1. to overturn; upset.

---

coup ¹ British  

/ kuː /

noun

1. a brilliant and successful stroke or action

2. short for coup d'état

---

coup ² British  

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to turn or fall over

---

noun

1. a rubbish tip

coup ³ British  

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to barter; traffic; deal

---

coup Cultural  

1. In politics, an abbreviation for coup d'état.

---

Usage

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• coups
  plural

---

Etymology

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

---

Explanation

A coup is a pretty major achievement, whether it involves taking over a government by force, or landing a major business contract. When the word coup is used on the nightly news, it's usually describing a military government takeover. In the business section of the daily newspaper, coup might refer to a big corporation landing an important contract or deal. However you use the word coup, don't say the "p" at the end. It's not pronounced like chicken coop. It sounds more like a dove's coo.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coup coups

The carefully rendered visages are then, at the final moment, slashed with a coup de grâce—a stroke cutting across the mandible or a thick single point that pierces into the chin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

He returned to power via a military coup in 1952, which in some ways lit the spark for Fidel Castro’s toppling of the Cuban government at the end of the decade.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

Ravatomanga himself will not be in the dock after he fled to the neighbouring island of Mauritius days before a military coup ousted Rajoelina in October 2025.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Barre seized power in Somalia in a bloodless coup in 1969.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

He reflected on his role—a tragically important role—in the coup.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Ivorian reggae star Alpha Blondy abruptly interrupted his concert's chilled-out vibes to wade into a far less laid-back subject -- the coups in his country's unrest-riven Sahel neighbours.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

A former Portuguese colony in the Gulf of Guinea, the island nation of 200,000 inhabitants has a history marked by attempted coups including one in 2022 that was promptly thwarted by the military.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

It also revived troubling memories of military coups from decades ago, in a country now viewed as a beacon of peaceful democracy in Asia.

From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026

All three countries are currently led by military governments following a series of coups.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026

If you wore special glasses you could see them spinning through the sky among the bats and homing birds—blondes, wars, famines, football, food shows, coups d’ etat, hairstyles stiff with hair spray.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• action
• overthrow
• plot
• revolution

---