From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcoupcoup /kuː/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 REBELLION/REVOLUTIONa sudden and sometimes violent attempt by citizens or the army to take control of the government SYN coup d'état Haiti’s first elected president was deposed in a violent military coup. a coup attempt by junior officers He evaded capture after the failed coup.► see thesaurus at revolution2 IMPRESSan achievement that is extremely impressive because it was very difficult Beating Arsenal was a major coup for the club.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa military/army coupHe seized power in a military coup in 1977.an attempted/abortive/failed coup (=one that did not succeed)There was an attempted coup against Togo’s military dictator.a successful/unsuccessful coupThe armed forces are too weak to mount a successful coup.a bloody/bloodless coup (=with or without killing and violence)In 1974, the regime was overthrown in a bloodless coup.a presidential coup (=in which power is taken from a president)The new leader returned the country to democratic rule following his presidential coup.verbsplan/plot a coupThey were arrested and accused of plotting a coup against the government.stage/mount/launch a coup (=attempt one)Later that year, the rebels staged an unsuccessful coup.foil/crush a coup (=stop it from being successful)The government foiled an armed coup by rebel soldiers.be deposed/overthrown in a coup (=lose power in a coup)The prime minister was deposed in a coup by the armed forces.coup + NOUNa coup attemptThere have been repeated coup attempts against the government.the coup leaderThe coup leaders escaped when the rest of the men were arrested.a coup plotHe was imprisoned for his part in a coup plot against the regime.
Examples from the Corpus
coup• There they argued inconclusively, and the students prepared to stage a coup in Jakarta.• Getting to host the race was a coup for the Santa Cruz Yacht Club.• S.-backed coup which overthrew a democratically elected government.• The next morning, a week after his coup, senior army officers told him his time had run out.• For Stewart, the Athens dispatches were a journalistic coup of the first rank.• Ben Bella was overthrown in a military coup in 1965.• But the coup the youngest daughter most wanted was to reconcile with her father in a big way.failed coup• President Gamul Abdel Nasser had dissolved the organization after a failed coup attempt in Alexandria in which he claimed it was involved.• It was the worst violence Moscow had seen since the failed coup of August 1991.major coup• The Metropolis in Saltcoats, for example, recently pulled off a major coup by securing a live set from Chaka Khan.• The measures represent a major coup by central government against local government and the unions.• The Stadium management thinks it's a major coup.Origin coup (1700-1800) French “hit, stroke” 