COUP D'ÉTAT Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

coup d'état

noun

variants or coup d'etat

Definition of coup d'état

as in coup

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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 General Muhammadu Buhari, dictator of Nigeria, following a successful coup d'etat against Shehu Shagari. — Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 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 See All Example Sentences for coup d'état

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup d'état

Noun

The license is coup for IDW, which also publishes a slew of Star Trek comics.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
The judge chaired the investigation that led to Jair Bolsonaro being sentenced last year to 27 years in prison for a coup attempt, but has since been involved in corruption accusations.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of coup

Noun

Sanon’s lawyers argue instead that their client, whom prosecutors portray as a deeply indebted man hoping to replace Moïse through a violent overthrow of his government, had nothing to do with the assassination.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
This would eventually lead to the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of overthrow

Noun

The film argues that those foundational principles — along with the amendment’s prohibition against those who engage in insurrection serving as heads of state — have come under unprecedented pressure in recent years.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Amendment is also a constitution’s mechanism for the prevention of insurrection.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

Taiwan’s National Day is held on the anniversary ‌of a 1911 uprising that led to the overthrow of China’s last imperial dynasty and the establishment of ‌the Republic of China.

— Reuters, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2026
Washington hoped that assassinating Khamenei would prompt a mass antigovernment uprising.

— Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

Last week, Ethiopia’s Army chief accused Egypt, Eritrea, and the Sudanese Armed Forces of fomenting the new insurgency.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
In the new telling, which adds some revisionist history to the proceedings and is set in 1775, Syn is a reverend doctor waging an insurgency against King George III.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurgency

Browse Nearby Words

coup

coup d'état

coup d'oeil

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“Coup d'état.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20d%27%C3%A9tat. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of coup d'état

noun

Example Sentences

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