as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the Continental Army's attack on the British-Hessian encampment at Trenton, New Jersey, ranks as one of the most brilliant coups de main of the war
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Recent Examples of coup de main
Ryan Reynolds walked arm in arm with Blake Lively, and there were polite air-kisses and an appearance by Martha Stewart—but like the film’s coup de main, the night was filled with surprises.
—
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2018
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup de main
Noun
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Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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The administration’s attacks on Lemon and independent journalists have boosted their online attention and revenue.—
Drew Harwell,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Both Beijing and Hong Kong’s government have repeatedly rejected international criticism of Lai’s prosecution and dismissed accusations that his jailing was politically motivated or an assault on press freedom.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Another 43,000 arrestees are listed as having assault charges or convictions.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Charges against 17 people arrested during demonstrations against Operation Midway Blitz immigration raids around Chicagoland last year have been dismissed as prosecutorial accusations have faded.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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Fort Bragg is home to the Army's Special Operations Command and Delta Force, the elite special forces unit that reportedly executed the raid.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Anyone who finds that offensive is telling on themselves.—
Prince J. Grimes,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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Russia has been waging a sustained offensive against Ukraine's power grid through the winter.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And, increasingly, many are mounting charm offenses on X in the hopes of becoming MAGA darlings.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Violence is widespread in the city proper, with large encampments where meth and other drugs are readily available and criminals reportedly exploit the city’s free bus system to carry out offenses.—
Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Over the past two weeks, a persistent onslaught of snow and ice made much of Charlotte grind to a halt.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026
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Carpenter’s goal began the scoring onslaught for Team USA.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But the film industry ground to a halt during the pandemic and industry strikes.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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Two people were killed, and ten people were injured in the strikes.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On Friday, the EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, urged European leaders to stand up to Russian aggression.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
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The second half was a much different story as Punch maintained his confidence and aggression.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coup de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20main. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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