coup d'état

variants or coup d'etat
Definition of coup d'étatnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of coup d'état The Minister of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, participates in the plenary session of the Supreme Court (STF) in Brazil on Feb. 20, 2025, after the Attorney General's Office (PGR) indicts the former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a coup d'etat in 2023. Dan Mangan, CNBC, 30 July 2025 General Muhammadu Buhari, dictator of Nigeria, following a successful coup d'etat against Shehu Shagari. Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025 Viktor learns of a coup d'etat in his country while at New York's JFK Airport, and, after the U.S. refuses to recognize his passport, he is forced to stay at the airport's terminal. Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025 Spain The former king of Spain, Juan Carlos, saw an explosion of popularity in the 1980s after helping to foil a coup d'etat attempt. Justin Klawans, theweek, 27 Feb. 2024 The ceremony came after Nguema seized power in a coup d'etat last week, in the latest usurping of control in African countries. Justin Klawans, The Week, 4 Sep. 2023 Also in attendance at that event was the junta leader who seized power in Guinea a little over a year after Mali's coup d'etat. Krista Larson, ajc, 24 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup d'état
Noun
  • The United States has struck a hard line, characterizing the unrest as a coup attempt.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 May 2026
  • Their coup de grâce was a sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, which mercifully ended Tuesday night in Las Vegas in a 2-1 victory in which the Golden Knights broke the will of the top seed.
    Jesse Granger, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Noun
  • There, the Castros led the guerrilla war that ended with the overthrow of dictator Fulgencio ​Batista three years later, in 1959.
    Chris Kenning, USA Today, 21 May 2026
  • Izaak Walton wrote The Compleat Angler in the aftermath of Oliver Cromwell’s overthrow of the English monarchy, which had forced Walton and other royalists to flee London for the countryside.
    Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Noun
  • Two years later, a group of Hawaiian royalists held an armed revolt to restore the monarchy, and the provisional government blamed her for the violence.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 18 May 2026
  • After the fallout over the Epstein files’ revelations on Mandelson, Rayner led a lawmakers’ revolt to force the government to cede control to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee to decide which documents should be released into the public domain.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • Full political violence insurance can cover property damage and business interruption tied to terrorism, sabotage, riots, strikes, civil commotion, insurrection, rebellion, mutiny, coup and war.
    Contessa Brewer,Dawn Giel, CNBC, 19 May 2026
  • Over the previous two years, Burr quietly—and then not-so-quietly—investigated the possibility of insurrection, sounding out allies, financiers, and military officers willing to join him.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 May 2026
Noun
  • Germans, beer, white flight, uprising, rebirth.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • That's the anniversary of a democratic uprising in the southern city of Gwangju that was brutally suppressed by troops, tanks and helicopters, killing or injuring hundreds.
    CBS News, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Noun
  • The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 May 2026
  • The Nigerian government has denied that the country allows religious persecution, and analysts say large numbers of Muslims and Christians have been harmed by insurgency in northern Nigeria.
    Joe Walsh, CBS News, 16 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Coup d'état.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20d%27%C3%A9tat. Accessed 28 May. 2026.

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