noun,pluralcoups[kooz; French koo]. /kuz; French ku/.
a highly successful, unexpected stroke, act, or move; a clever action or accomplishment.
(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.
coup d'état.
Idioms for coup
count coup, (among Plains Indians of North America)
to perform a coup.
to recount or relate the coups one has performed.
Origin of coup
1
1640–50; <French: literally, blow, stroke, Old French colp<Late Latin colpus,Latin colaphus<Greek kólaphos
Words nearby coup
county farm, county home, county palatine, county seat, county town, coup, coup de foudre, coup de grâce, coup de main, coup de maître, coup de poing
Definition for coup (2 of 2)
coup2
[ kohp, koop ]
/ koʊp, kup /
verb (used with or without object)Scot.
overturn; upset.
Origin of coup
2
1350–1400; Middle English coupe to pay for <Old Norse kaupa to buy, barter; cognate with Old English cēapian,German kaufen.See cheap
SpaceX won a major coup last week after years of effort—a contract to launch about a dozen spacecraft for the US Space Force in the next five years, worth well north of a billion dollars.
Why SpaceX is silent about winning a huge military contract|Tim Fernholz|August 13, 2020|Quartz
The ability to “arithmetize” this kind of statement set the stage for the coup.
How Gödel’s Proof Works|Natalie Wolchover|July 14, 2020|Quanta Magazine
As it happened, the coup members found the State House “fortified with additional soldiers.”
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Most coup members “lived in the diaspora in the United States and Germany,” Faal said.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That Stone would slander the democratic, pro-Western, EuroMaidan revolution as a CIA coup is no surprise.
Oliver Stone’s Latest Dictator Suckup|James Kirchick|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps in part because it was an FBI coup, the CIA stepped in with its high-priced psychologist.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built|Michael Daly|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Had the coup succeeded, the Qatar problem might have become still worse than it is.
U.S. Ally Qatar Shelters Jihadi Moneymen|Jamie Dettmer|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He preferred to wait and see what coup it was she was now preparing.
Cleo The Magnificent|Louis Zangwill
"You could make a coup de tongue," thought Molly, sighing helplessly.
Molly Brown's Sophomore Days|Nell Speed
I ought to have known that I was mistaken: it wasn't even a coup, but a cab, and an old one at that!
Paul and His Dog, v.1 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIII)|Charles Paul de Kock
The defenceless condition of that city was known to the British General, whose object was to take it by 'coup de main'.
The Life of Francis Marion|William Gilmore Simms
The latter had spoiled his coup, robbed him of its fruits, and now was letting him go to prison.
Crooked Trails and Straight|William MacLeod Raine
British Dictionary definitions for coup (1 of 3)
coup1
/ (kuː) /
noun
a brilliant and successful stroke or action
short for coup d'état
Word Origin for coup
C18: from French: blow, from Latin colaphus blow with the fist, from Greek kolaphos
British Dictionary definitions for coup (2 of 3)
coup2
cowp
Scot
verb
to turn or fall over
noun
a rubbish tip
Word Origin for coup
C15: perhaps identical with obsolete cope to strike; see cope1