coup d'état

[ koo dey-tah; French koo dey-ta ]

noun

, plural coups d'é·tat [koo dey-, tahz, koo dey-, ta].

1. a sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force.

   Synonyms: uprising, revolution, rebellion, overthrow

coup d'état

/ ku deta; ˈkuː deɪˈtɑː /

noun

1. a sudden violent or illegal seizure of government

coup d'état

1. A quick and decisive seizure of governmental power by a strong military or political group. In contrast to a revolution, a coup d'état, or coup , does not involve a mass uprising. Rather, in the typical coup, a small group of politicians or generals arrests the incumbent leaders, seizes the national radio and television services, and proclaims itself in power. Coup d'état is French for “stroke of the state” or “blow to the government.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of coup d'état¹

1640–50; < French: literally, stroke concerning the state

Word History and Origins

Origin of coup d'état¹

French, literally: stroke of state

Example Sentences

Bolsonaro's vice-presidential candidate Walter Braga Netto and 35 other people have also been indicted by federal police for attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d'état and criminal organisation.

From BBC

In My First Coup d'Etat, Mahama Jr describes himself as "an observant child with an active imagination and an unbounded curiosity".

From BBC

Personal trials like this appear in Mahama's acclaimed writing - he has been published by a number of international news outlets and his memoir, My First Coup D'etat, won praise from two African literary greats, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Chinua Achebe.

From BBC

In a 2021 book titled “The Real Anthony Fauci” — described by the veteran pseudoscience debunker David Gorski as a “conspiracy theory extravaganza,” he absurdly portrayed Fauci, one of the most respected public health officials in America, as a “powerful technocrat who helped orchestrate and execute 2020’s historic coup d’etat against Western democracy.”

From Los Angeles Times

Decolonization gets the ultimate needle-drop treatment in the documentary “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” from Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez.

From Los Angeles Times