coupnoun [ C ]
uk/kuː/us/kuː/coup noun [ C ] (SUCCESS)
an unexpectedly successful achievement:
It was a tremendous coup for the local paper to get an exclusive interview with Prince Charles.
I got him to come to a party, which was something of a coup.
More examples
- Their story about the princess was a real coup.
- Winning the helicopter contract was a real coup for him.
- Getting the chief executive job was a real coup for Jennifer.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Success and achievements
- a feather in your cap idiom
- a narrow squeak idiom
- a roaring success idiom
- accomplishment
- achievement
- belt
- boom
- every dog has its day idiom
- feat
- feather
- fruition
- have sth under your belt idiom
- he who laughs last, laughs longest/best idiom
- laugh
- prospect
- quantum leap
- sellout
- success
- success story
- the dizzy heights of sth idiom
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coup noun [ C ] (TAKE POWER)
C2 also coup d'état, uk/ˌkuː.deɪˈtɑː/usplural coups d'état a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power, especially by part of an army:
a military coup
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Taking action against people in power
- anarchist
- angry young man
- bring
- bring sb down
- counter-revolution
- insurgent
- mutineer
- mutiny
- overthrow
- palace coup
- partisan
- poacher
- poacher turned gamekeeper idiom
- put sth down 1
- riot
- riotous
- rising
- secede
- state of emergency
- uprising
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