coups de main

noun

plural of coup de main
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
  1. attacks
  2. assaults
  3. raids
  4. offensives
  5. offenses
  6. onslaughts
  7. strikes
  8. attempts
Noun
  • Russia pounded Kyiv for more than 12 hours in a sixth straight night of attacks, killing at least 12 people including six railway workers and an Indian citizen, and devastating civilian districts.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Despite the recent attacks, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters in Caracas, Venezuela that 17 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the largest amount since the conflict began.
    — Gordon Lubold, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • The government has been carrying out a counteroffensive since January, with aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official commitment to the peace agreement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, the assaults have been so frequent that even the mayor has lost counts.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of assaults
Noun
  • During these latest raids on five properties, the military seized 18,000 gallons of diesel, fuel tanks, pumps, firearms, and tools.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Pew Research Center estimates this number includes more than 330,000 Haitian migrants, who are now susceptible to ICE raids and deportations.
    — Nathan Lee, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of raids
Noun
  • However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Israel’s ongoing offensives have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests and raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel.
    — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of offensives
Noun
  • So surrounding Antetokounmpo with shooting was the smart strategy, because the data suggests offenses play at well above-average levels when the two-time MVP is paired with elite shooting.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The police will have to disclose only reports of crimes that took place on the campus itself, and not reports concerning burglary, larceny and other offenses, which the judge deemed irrelevant.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of offenses
Noun
  • In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.
    — Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.
    — Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of onslaughts
Noun
  • The attacks have brought shortages for ordinary Russians, though its strikes have not been as deadly for civilians.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The number of bears killed by motor vehicle strikes, euthanized as nuisances because of conflicts with humans or poached in the Central Florida region over the past decade total about 1,900.
    — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of strikes
Noun
  • Utilizing quick, short passes, Hayes completed 14 of his first 16 attempts, including a 26-yard touchdown strike to sophomore tight end Ian Figi that gave Naperville Central a 14-0 lead.
    — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • McIntire is going batty — in a good way — over attempts to investigate the elusive western mastiff.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of attempts
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.

Browse Nearby Words

coups de grâce
coups de main
courage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coups de main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coups%20de%20main. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All