Coup d'etat

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A coup d'état (sounds like "coo day ta"), or just coup ("coo") for short, is the sudden overthrow of (taking over from) a government. Unlike a revolution, which usually takes large numbers of people to take over, a coup can be done by a small number of people, or even one person, if they, for example, control the country's army.

The term is French for "a (sudden) blow (or stroke) to a state".

Informally coup is sometimes used to refer to takeovers, or wins, in places other than government, such as inside a corporation.

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