coup
pronunciation
How to pronounce coup in British English:
UK [kuː]
How to pronounce coup in American English:
US [kuː]
-
- Noun:
- a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force
- a brilliant and notable success
Word Origin
- coup (n.)
- c. 1400, from Old French coup, colp "a blow, strike" (12c.), from Medieval Latin colpus, from Vulgar Latin colapus, from Latin colaphus "a cuff, box on the ear," from Greek kolaphos "a blow, slap." Meaning "a sudden decisive act" is 1852, short for coup d'etat. In Modern French the word is a workhorse, describing everything from a pat on the back to a whipping, and is used as well of thunder, gusts of wind, gunshots, and chess moves.
Example
- 1. We don 't fret about the possibility of a military coup , or an invasion by a foreign power .
- 2. A coup against mikhail gorbachev had just been defeated .
- 3. The french regard this as a coup .
- 4. This sounds like a coup for u.s. business .
- 5. That was before mr sarkozy launched a classic coup .