English Dictionary

Definition of “coup

1coup1 (kuːPronunciation for coup1

Definitions

noun

  1. a brilliant and successful stroke or action
  2. short for coup d'état

Word Origin

C18: from French: blow, from Latin colaphus  blow with the fist, from Greek kolaphos

2coup2 or cowp(kaʊp)

Definitions

verb

  1. to turn or fall over

noun

  1. a rubbish tip
Scottish

Word Origin

C15: perhaps identical with obsolete cope to strike; see copeC15: perhaps identical with obsolete to strike; see 1

3coup3 (kaʊp) 

Definitions

verb

  1. Scottish to barter; traffic; deal

Word Origin

C14: from Old Norse kaupa to buy

Usage examples

  • She could have wriggled close to Dakin, enlisted her cooperation in a coup that went wrong.
    Kallen, Lucille, C B Greenfield - A Little Madness (1986)
  • Kargil war breaks out, ties frozen, Musharraf stages coup in October 1999. november 2000: Cease-fire announced.
    India Today (2001)
  • The trend was accelerated by recession and given the coup de grace by last year's collapse of Enron.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • Surprisingly, the Hughes brothers and their mostly British cast have pulled off a coup.
    Glasgow Herald (2002)
  • The decision was a coup for Quattrone, whose investment banking team was still seeking to establish itself in its new location.
    John Cassidy, DOT.CON (2001)

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