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coup d'etat

[koo dey-tah, koo dey-ta] / ˌku deɪˈtɑ, ku deɪˈta /


coup d'état


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Elsewhere we learn that, during the 1978 coup d’état, the hotel’s chefs “whipped up special dishes, turning tender steaks and scrumptious cakes into weapons of distraction.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

“In time of coup d’état and autocracy in Africa, this election is an opportunity to reinforce a unique democracy in central Africa,” said Fred Bauma, executive director of Congolese research institute Ebuteli.

From Washington Times • Dec. 20, 2023

Canada will suspend direct development assistance to the government of Niger in response to the attempted coup d’état in the West African nation, the federal government said on Saturday.

From Reuters • Aug. 6, 2023

The term "insurrection" is almost synonymous with "coup d'état" and the idea that you are trying to overthrow the government.

From Salon • Jul. 3, 2023

The Seize-Mai has sometimes been likened to an abortive coup d'état.

From A History of the Third French Republic by Wright, C. H. C. (Charles Henry Conrad)