COUPS DE MAIN Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

coups de main

noun

plural of coup de main

as in attacks

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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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coups de main

Noun

In Congo, where the outbreak has spread to seven provinces, responders have faced attacks on health teams, misinformation about the virus, a failure by locals to report symptoms and rebel violence that has limited access to treatment centers.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
The question also raised the recent spread of controversies over individual films into attacks on cast and crew and campaigns to halt screenings.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

Over the same period, CATS reported 10 assaults, or less than four per every 10 million passenger trips, on the light rail, data CATS submitted to the federal government shows.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
Moscow and Kyiv have intensified their aerial assaults as progress along the 750-mile front line has largely ground to a halt.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of assaults

Noun

When compared to Operation Free MacArthur Park's summer raids, Hochman said Skid Row covers a 50-city-block area, making the park's enforcement almost like a test run for Thursday's massive operation.

— Julie Sharp, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Thursday’s raids stretched from Simi Valley to West Covina, targeting homes, a storefront downtown and numerous vehicles.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of raids

Noun

However, further Houthi offensives have met stiffer resistance from the recuperated forces of the Presidential Leadership Council, depriving the group of another quick victory.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
With alarm bells ringing over potential Russian offensives — both digital and kinetic — in the coming months, vulnerable European nations must figure out if, and how, to respond.

— Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of offensives

Noun

The lawsuit asks the court to find the DNA Act and its implementing regulations unconstitutional and stop the routine collection of DNA from individuals arrested for non-serious offenses, like their plaintiffs.

— CBS News, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
The prosecutor’s statements did not establish that Roberts had committed new offenses, and the available court documents do not indicate whether additional charges have been filed in connection with those suspicions.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of offenses

Noun

In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.

— Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.

— Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of onslaughts

Noun

Of course, amid the rise of streaming movies in the home coming out of the pandemic, followed by the 2023 Los Angeles writers and actors strikes, getting film lovers back into the Cranford Theater remained a challenge.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
Bryan’s pro-Palestinian stage gesture adds to a noticeable shift among mainstream artists speaking openly about their support for Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing strikes on Gaza.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of strikes

Noun

Trump’s attempts to fire Cook from the Fed’s seven-member board of governors represent the first time in the central bank’s 113-year history that a president has sought to remove a Fed governor.

— Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
If anything, Trump’s escalating attempts to strong-arm people into a supposedly nicer term for AI makes him — and the industry itself — look awfully weak.

— Adi Robertson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of attempts

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.

Browse Nearby Words

coups de grâce

coups de main

courage

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“Coups de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coups%20de%20main. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of coups de main

noun

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