coup

¹ American  

[kohp, koop] / koʊp, kup /

verb (used with or without object)

Scot.

1. to overturn; upset.

---

coup ² American  

[koo] / ku /

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.

---

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 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

Etymology

Origin of coup¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; likely originally a variant of cope

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

Example Sentences

That changed shortly after Romania’s King Carol II, who ascended to the throne in a coup that deposed his son, personally selected his country’s World Cup roster and sent it on its way.

From Los Angeles Times

Many of them were just schoolboys when the coup occurred in 2021.

From BBC

As the 7 December attempted military coup in Benin collapsed, the rebels' leader, Lt Col Pascal Tigri, made his discreet escape, apparently over the border into neighbouring Togo.

From BBC

The car — first introduced in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair as a sporty, compact coup with just a little bit of an edge — is given a hero’s treatment.

From Los Angeles Times

But then Long returned—armed with deep knowledge of corporate coups and boardroom power plays.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• action
• overthrow
• plot
• revolution