Coup d’État
Historical Term Governance and Public Administration Preferred
A sudden and unlawful seizure or attempted seizure of governmental power by a small group.
Independent referenceNot an official or legal definition
Sources citedSee the sources at the end of this page
Status Under reviewLast updated 22 September 2026
Spotted an error?Suggest a correction
Definition
In plain language
It usually refers to an attempt to take state power outside the ordinary constitutional process.
Academic definition
In political science and public law, a coup d'état denotes an unconstitutional or extra-constitutional seizure of executive authority, often involving state institutions or security forces.
Classification
- Term type
- Historical Term
- Category
- Governance and Public Administration
- Subject field
- Public Administration
- Subfield
- Governance and Public Administration
- Difficulty level
- Intermediate
- Grammatical category
- Noun
Language variants
- Alternative terms
- unknown
- Non-preferred terms
- unknown
- Abbreviations
- unknown
- Acronyms
- unknown
- Native terms
- unknown
- Transliteration
- not_applicable
- Pronunciation
- unknown
Context
Legal effect: Not a Legal Term
Scope
Its legal characterization depends on the constitutional and domestic legal order involved.
Legal context
Applicable international or domestic legal rules determine the term's precise legal content and consequences.
Diplomatic context
The term is used in diplomatic or international institutional practice where relevant; precise meaning depends on the mandate and context.
Institutional context
Institutional use depends on the competent organization, national authority, treaty regime, or procedural rules.
Historical context
not_applicable
Why it matters
Supports consistent interpretation of international affairs, legal, diplomatic, or governance documents.
Usage
Register: Academic
Usage note
Use “Coup d'État” only where the stated legal or institutional context applies.
Example
The report refers to coup d'état in the context of the applicable international framework.
Example scenario
A government or international institution applies the relevant rules when addressing a matter involving coup d'état.
Common misuse
unknown
Not to be confused with
- unknown
Sources
- Glossary — Compass, Council of Europe, not_applicable. coe.int
- Official definition. coe.int
- Treaty reference. coe.int
- not_found_in_source. not_found_in_source
- not_found_in_source. not_found_in_source
Source type: Official Glossary. Source reliability: Primary.
This entry is an independent reference definition, not an official or legally binding text. Where an official definition exists, it is linked above and is authoritative. Read our methodology.
Was this definition helpful?