as in attack
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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Recent Examples of coup de main
Ryan Reynolds walked arm in arm with Blake Lively, and there were polite air-kisses and an appearance by Martha Stewart—but like the film’s coup de main, the night was filled with surprises.
—
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2018
Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coup de main
Noun
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In March, two days of U.S. attacks killed more than 50 people, Houthi officials said.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Three decades later, the documentary Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror looks back on that day, featuring interviews with law enforcement involved in the case and victims of the attack.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The police, several older unhoused people explained to me, were making their lives increasingly difficult by staging regular raids.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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Critics say such raids sow fear in vulnerable communities.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Well, that portion of the proclamation has spurred quite an onslaught of chuckles and guffaws.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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For whatever reason, the default federal approach has been to assume that U.S. taxpayers should help pay for any efforts needed to slow the sewage onslaught from Tijuana.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.—
Jacky Wong,
WSJ,
6 Feb. 2023
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Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The fastball, again on the outer half, flew by his barrel for strike one.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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But soon all production activities stopped due to strikes from both the screenwriters’ and actors’ unions.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Ukraine said this week that Russian troops were already carrying out a new offensive.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Apr. 2025
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The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias launched an offensive on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps and the nearby city of El Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, on Friday, said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Trump's probe, announced on Tuesday, is viewed as an attempt to push back on leading critical minerals producer China, and comes on top of reviews into pharmaceutical and chip imports.—
Anmol Choubey,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2025
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Cats are also known to not only knock but ring doorbells in an attempt at getting inside.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Those wins have featured a combination of factors that have resulted in Ottawa’s success this year: structured defending, solid goaltending and timely offense.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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For others, revocation was attributed to a crime or traffic offense and for some the reason is unknown.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coup de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coup%20de%20main. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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