Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Coup

//kuː// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act.

    "The conference was a major coup for Robarts, who received congratulations for his 'expert handling' of the 'risky venture.'"

  2. 2
    a brilliant and notable success wordnet
  3. 3
    Of Native Americans, a blow against an enemy delivered in a way that demonstrates bravery. US, historical

    "Among the Blackfeet the capture of a shield, bow, gun, war bonnet, war shirt, or medicine pipe was deemed a coup."

  4. 4
    a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force wordnet
  5. 5
    A coup d'état.

    "Military coups and the military regimes which follow from them are so much a feature of third world politics that their presence or absence in any given region might almost be taken as a rough and ready touchstone of third worldliness."

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    A takeover of one group by another. broadly

    "Liz Truss’s government is in chaos after the chancellor refused to confirm he would bring forward his budget to calm the markets and the home secretary accused fellow MPs of a coup against the prime minister. […] Backbenchers also expressed outrage at [Suella] Braverman’s suggestion of a “coup” against Truss."

  2. 7
    A single roll of the wheel at roulette, or a deal in rouge et noir.
  3. 8
    One of various named strategies employed by the declarer to win more tricks, such as the Bath coup.
Verb
  1. 1
    To execute a coup. intransitive

    "The squaws of another race will sing the death-song of their benefactor, and woe to the Sioux if the Northern Cheyennes get a chance to coup !"

  2. 2
    To exchange, barter. Northern-England, Scotland

    "How that he had been couped from hand to hand, ſometimes kept againſt his will as Captive, ſometimes beſieged, ſometimes brought to battle againſt his will by the Duglaſſes to fight againſt the Earl of Lenox, […]"

  3. 3
    To subject (a nation) to a coup d'état. informal, transitive

    "We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it."

  4. 4
    To empty out, overturn, or tilt, such as from a cart or wheelbarrow. transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

Reborrowed in modern times from modern French coup (“blow, strike”), from Old French coup, colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus. Doublet of cope and colpus. The same Old French word had been borrowed into Middle English as coupe, caupe (with different pronunciation).

Etymology 2

Reborrowed in modern times from modern French coup (“blow, strike”), from Old French coup, colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus. Doublet of cope and colpus. The same Old French word had been borrowed into Middle English as coupe, caupe (with different pronunciation).

Etymology 3

From Middle English coupen (“to buy; (figuratively) to pay for”), from Old Norse kaupa (“to buy, bargain, barter, exchange”).

See also for "coup"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: coup