coup

¹

[ koo ]

noun

, plural coups [kooz, koo].

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.

coup

²

[ kohp, koop ]

verb (used with or without object)

, Scot.

1. to overturn; upset.

coup

¹

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to barter; traffic; deal

coup

²

/ kuː /

noun

1. a brilliant and successful stroke or action
2. short for coup d'état

coup

³

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to turn or fall over

noun

1. a rubbish tip

coup

1. In politics, an abbreviation for coup d'état .

Word History and Origins

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

Origin of coup²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of coup¹

C14: from Old Norse kaupa to buy

Origin of coup²

C18: from French: blow, from Latin colaphus blow with the fist, from Greek kolaphos

Origin of coup³

C15: perhaps identical with obsolete cope to strike; see cope ¹

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

In February 2024, federal police raided the properties of former government officials and ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passport as part of the coup investigation.

From Salon

When Mahama was just seven, his father, a government minister, was jailed during a military coup and later went into exile.

From BBC

According to the statement, the plotters had not just planned to assassinate the president-elect and the vice-president-elect but also wanted to arrest and execute a member of the Supreme Court once their coup was successful.

From BBC

Of course, Biden was not afforded that courtesy by Trump and his attempted coup on Jan. 6.

From Salon

Since a coup overthrew Mali’s government in 2020, the country has become estranged from its Western partners and has drawn closer to Russia.

From New York Times

Related Words

• action
• overthrow
• plot
• revolution

More About Coup

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.

The violence at the Capitol today was an attempted coup and act of insurrection egged on by a corrupt President to overthrow our democracy.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 6, 2021

Every seditionist House member who supported and encouraged this attempted coup needs to be expelled.

— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) January 6, 2021

Our democracy is literally under assault.

Donald J. Trump incited this violence and is directly responsible for this attempted coup.

He must be impeached and removed from office immediately.

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) January 6, 2021

Coup vs. sedition vs. insurrection

Those discussing the events of January 6 also used other strong words to describe what happened, such as sedition, insurrection, and (domestic) terrorism. The terms coup and coup d’état narrowly refer to an illegal or forceful change of government, as opposed to an uprising in general. A coup may be attempted with the intention of removing a single political leader, rather than instituting an entirely new form of government, for example. Sedition refers to incitement or promotion of rebellion against the government, while insurrection refers to an active rebellion or uprising against the government. Despite the differences in their meanings, terms like sedition, insurrection, and coup are sometimes used in the discussion of the same events. For example, a coup may be the result of an insurrection inspired by sedition.

More broadly, terrorism involves the use of violence or threats of violence—especially against civilians—to achieve some political aim. Domestic terrorism specifically refers to acts of terrorism against one’s fellow citizens. By contrast, the word insurrection typically refers to acts that target the government, rather than civilians. However, some acts of insurrection may also be considered acts of terrorism.

Some discussing the events of January 6 described them as having the atmosphere of a banana republic, which refers to an authoritarian country known for exploiting its citizens for the benefit of wealthy elites and foreign corporations. (Use of the term is often criticized due to disparaging associations with Central American countries.)