as in attacks
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coups de main
Noun
-
Remember, Congress was given the power in the Constitution to formally declare war, and AUMFs were drawn up after the 9/11 attacks and Congress at that time passed an authorization for use of military force.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
1 May 2026 -
Residents of the usually picturesque Russian resort town of Tuapse were this week warned not to leave the homes or open windows as authorities tackled intense fires from a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on the town’s oil refinery.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
No one was injured in the assaults, which included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
American forces have used thousands of missiles in attacking Iran while allies have powered through stockpiles in fending off Tehran’s assaults, leaving reserves low and forcing the Pentagon to rush hardware to the Gulf.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pritzker last fall tasked the Illinois Accountability Commission with fact-finding about the sweeping Chicago-area raids for posterity, the public eye and potential future law enforcement actions, but the panel itself has no direct law enforcement power.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The same nurses hailed as essential workers during the pandemic are now dealing with the impact of ICE raids and ICE presence in hospitals, endangering nurses and their patients.—
Sonia Lawrence,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The army has retaken territory from ethnic militias, including the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which had launched powerful offensives along with pro-democracy resistance forces in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Putin is widely expected to launch new offensives as the weather in Ukraine improves, piling further pressure on Kyiv.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If offenses continue after an initial 30-day notice, the boater could be required to leave the marina.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Aline is unexpectedly freed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as authorities release detainees accused of minor offenses to free up the overpopulated jails.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When will these onslaughts of cold end?—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The strikes sparked fires at the facility, which processes 15 million tons of oil a year and produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel for the Russian military.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The majority of these strikes happen during the summer, causing around 20 fatalities each year, according to the NWS.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Harley’s been much more noticeable in this series and, again, has excellent underlying numbers — his 23 shot attempts are second only to Heiskanen, and his nine shots on goal are second only to Robertson.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Previous attempts at extracting uranium ions have relied on a passive system in which adsorbents remain stationary and wait for uranium ions to pass through them for trapping.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Coups de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coups%20de%20main. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
