coup d'état

Definition

The sudden overthrow of a government, differing from a revolution by being carried out by a small group of people who replace only the leading figures.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French coup d'État (literally “strike (or blow or cut) of state”).

Example Sentences

• "The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and some of his closest allies are among dozens of people formally accused by federal police of being part of a criminal conspiracy designed to obliterate Brazil’s democratic system through a rightwing coup d’état."