coup
/kuː/ (bre, ipa) · /kuː/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkü/ (ame, mw)
coup — noun
- coupsingular
- coupsplural
1. a remarkable and often sudden success that someone achieves, especially one that
a remarkable and often sudden success that someone achieves, especially one that surprises others because it seemed unlikely or difficult to reach
Feng scored a major coup when her firm won the contract over three larger rivals.
collocation: score a coup / major coup
Ilan described the trade agreement as the greatest diplomatic coup of his career.
Getting the famous singer to perform at the school fair was a real coup for the students.
The museum called the purchase of the rare Ming vase a stunning cultural coup.
- feat
focuses on the difficulty of the achievement rather than surprise or cleverness
- triumph
carries a stronger emotional sense of victory and joy
- masterstroke
highlights the cleverness of a single action or decision
- sensation
emphasises the public excitement or shock the achievement creates
常見錯誤
2. a sudden and illegal action, often carried out by military forces, that removes
a sudden and illegal action, often carried out by military forces, that removes a country's government or leader from power
Army officers led a military coup while the president was at a conference overseas.
collocation: lead a coup / military coup
After the failed coup, the government arrested hundreds of soldiers and closed all opposition newspapers.
collocation: failed coup
Thousands of citizens marched through the capital to protest the coup and demand free elections.
Niran's family fled the country when the coup brought a brutal dictator to power.
用法筆記
Often called a 'coup d'état' in formal or historical writing. Frequently modified by adjectives such as 'military,' 'bloodless,' or 'attempted.'
常見錯誤
coup — verb
- couppresent simple I / you / we / they
- coups3rd person singular
- couping-ing form
- coupedpast simple
1. to suddenly disrupt or overturn a system, plan, or expected outcome, often leavi
to suddenly disrupt or overturn a system, plan, or expected outcome, often leaving it in a damaged or failed state
Plans for the new runway were couped after the city council rejected the permit.
passive: be couped + after [event]
No single scandal could coup the Liang family's decades-long control over the business.
The hackers aimed to coup the entire payment system with a single computer virus.
The CEO's sudden resignation couped a merger that had taken eighteen months to negotiate.
文法句型
coup + noun phrase (plan, system, merger)
passive: be couped + after / by [event]
用法筆記
This verb is uncommon in modern English and appears mostly in formal writing or news reports. The noun form is far more frequent.