coup
noun
Coup — a single, brilliant stroke of stunning and decisive success
Definition
A brilliant and notable success
In depth
A coup is a brilliant and notable success, a single decisive achievement executed with such skill, daring, or unexpected cleverness that it draws widespread admiration and attention. The word also carries a distinct political sense, naming a sudden, often illegal seizure of governmental power, a meaning writers should distinguish carefully through context.
Origin
The word comes directly from French coup, a blow or stroke, ultimately from Late Latin colpus, related to Greek kolaphos, a blow with the fist. That underlying image of a single, decisive physical strike unites both the word's figurative sense of brilliant success and its political sense of a sudden, forceful seizure of power.
Usage examples
"Securing the rare interview was considered a major coup for the small, relatively unknown publication."
"Her negotiating coup, achieved without a single public statement, reshaped the entire industry within months."
"The museum's acquisition of the long-lost painting was hailed as an extraordinary coup."
How to use it
Coup, in the sense of a brilliant success, is common in journalism and business writing describing a single, impressive achievement, while its political sense, an illegal seizure of power, belongs to an entirely different and far more serious context requiring careful disambiguation.
Related concepts
Looking for a word but don't know its name?
Try the Word Finder →