Meaning & use
palace coup
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Meanings
nouncountable
A sudden seizure of power in which a ruler is removed by members of their own court, family or circle of advisers.
Grammar: Takes a/the: a palace coup, the palace coup of 1969.
Patterns
- a palace coup against someone
- stage a palace coup
The aging king was removed in a palace coup led by his own cousin.
Historians describe the sudden change of leadership as a palace coup, not a revolution.
Rumors of a palace coup spread after the minister vanished from public view.
nouncountablefigurativeinformal
A sudden takeover of leadership of a company or organization by its own senior members.
Grammar: Figurative; usually used humorously or critically.
Patterns
- a palace coup at something
A palace coup at the firm saw the founder replaced by three of his deputies.
The board's palace coup took the CEO by surprise.
There was a quiet palace coup in the committee last night.
Word forms
| plural | palace coups |
|---|
Common combinations
- stage a palace coup
- Generals staged a palace coup while the president was abroad.
- bloodless palace coup
- The change of power was a bloodless palace coup.
- palace coup against
- A palace coup against the king failed in 1953.
- rumors of a palace coup
- Rumors of a palace coup unsettled the markets.
- boardroom palace coup
- A boardroom palace coup removed the chairman.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coup d'état
- Coup d'état is the general term for any sudden seizure of government, whereas palace coup specifies that it comes from inside the ruling circle.
- putsch
- A putsch is a violent attempt to overthrow a government, usually by a smaller group, and need not involve insiders.
- takeover
- Takeover is broad and common in business, while palace coup suggests secret plotting among those close to the leader.
- revolution
- A revolution comes from the wider population and changes the system, but a palace coup only changes who rules.
Opposites
Word family
- coup noun
- a sudden seizure of power
- palace noun
- a large residence of a ruler
- coup d'état noun
- a sudden overthrow of a government
- coup plotter noun
- someone who plans a coup
Commonly confused: palace coup or coop?
palace coup vs coop
A coop is a cage for chickens; the word coup is pronounced like 'koo' and means a sudden takeover or a great success.
Practice
What makes a palace coup different from a revolution?
Choose one answer.
A palace coup is carried out by people close to the ruler. A revolution is a popular uprising, and a palace coup can involve force or end in another monarchy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “palace coup”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.