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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Iran, previously saying its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes, has hit back with waves of missile attacks on Israel.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 June 2025
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Kernodle received a delivery less than 10 minutes before the attack, which happened just after 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
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Immigration enforcement actions, particularly since the raids in Los Angeles in early June, have led to speculation of raids in North Texas.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
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For President Donald Trump, part of that enforcement has included deploying 4,000 troops with the National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to parts of Los Angeles to quell protests against ongoing immigration raids there and around the state.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
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While an onslaught of craft marketing has hit consumers now, the playbook is not new.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
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And this is coming from a community that already dealt with an onslaught from Gov. Ron DeSantis over the past three years.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.—
Jacky Wong,
WSJ,
6 Feb. 2023
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Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The majority of these strikes happen during the summer, causing around 20 fatalities each year, according to the NWS.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2025
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These values were shared by Qasem Hassan’s mother, who appeared at strikes even though teachers were not supposed to join picket lines.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Russian casualties fighting against Ukraine have surpassed 1 million, according to Kyiv's military, as ceasefire negotiations yield little progress and Moscow ramps up its summer offensive.—
Ellie Cook
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
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The community became a touchpoint in the nearly 14-year Syrian civil war that ended with the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Duren took 546 field-goal attempts last regular season, with 478 coming less than five feet from the rim.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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And yet, our research and conversations with executives show that instead of encouraging these efforts, some managers actively undermine employees’ attempts at cross-silo collaboration.—
ESMT Berlin,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
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During the offseason, the Chargers focused on adding weapons around Herbert to elevate a sputtering offense that ranked 20th in the NFL in yards per game.—
Thuc Nhi Nguyen,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
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However, the Yankees’ offense wasn’t done, as Aaron Judge clubbed his 25th home run of the season off Steven Cruz in the seventh inning.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coup de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20main. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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