noun
1 ( also coup d'état ) violent change of government
ADJECTIVE
▪ abortive , attempted , failed , unsuccessful
▪ successful
▪ bloody
▪ bloodless
▪ army ( esp. BrE ), military
▪ palace
▪
He deposed his father in a palace ~ in 1970.
▪ communist , right-wing , etc.
▪ boardroom
▪
She lost her position in a boardroom ~ (= a sudden change of power in a company) .
VERB + COUP
▪ launch , mount , stage
▪ foil , put down
▪
The ~ was immediately put down and the plotters were shot.
▪ engineer , foment , orchestrate , plan , plot
▪ lead
▪ come to power in , seize power in
▪
He seized power in a military ~.
COUP + NOUN
▪ attempt , plot
▪ leader , plotter
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ against
▪
a ~ against the president
2 achievement
ADJECTIVE
▪ big , great , major , real , spectacular ( esp. BrE )
▪
Winning that contract was her greatest ~.
▪ diplomatic , intelligence , marketing , propaganda , publicity
VERB + COUP
▪ pull off , score
▪
He managed to pull off a major diplomatic ~.