noun
Meaning 1
A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: triumph
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
coup
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
Received-Pronunciation: /kuː/
-
Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
General-American: /ku/
-
rhymes with -uː
-
homophone: coo
-
CMU ARPABET: K UW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Of Native Americans, a blow against an enemy delivered in a way that demonstrates bravery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A coup d'état.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: putsch
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A takeover of one group by another.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A single roll of the wheel at roulette, or a deal in rouge et noir.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
One of various named strategies employed by the declarer to win more tricks, such as the Bath coup.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: bridge, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To execute a coup.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To subject (a nation) to a coup d'état.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To empty out, overturn, or tilt, such as from a cart or wheelbarrow.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To exchange, barter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Northern-England, Scotland
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
a brilliant and notable success
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: success
noun
Meaning 12
a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: coup d'etat, putsch, takeover
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: group action
Narrower terms: countercoup, Russian Revolution, October Revolution
History
Etymology
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).
From Middle English coupen (“to buy; (figuratively) to pay for”), from Old Norse kaupa (“to buy, bargain, barter, exchange”).
Across languages
Translations
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: успех (uspeh) — quick, brilliant, and highly successful act; triumph
- Bulgarian: сполучлив удар (spolučliv udar) — quick, brilliant, and highly successful act; triumph
- Czech: bravurní kousek — quick, brilliant, and highly successful act; triumph
- Czech: skvělý tah — quick, brilliant, and highly successful act; triumph
- German: Coup — quick, brilliant, and highly successful act; triumph
- Māori: tukipoto — quick, brilliant, and highly successful act; triumph
- Dutch: coup — takeover of one group by another
- German: Coup — takeover of one group by another
- Portuguese: golpe — takeover of one group by another
- Russian: переворо́т (perevorót) — takeover of one group by another
- Spanish: golpismo — takeover of one group by another