COUP DE MAIN

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

An attack without warning

Synonyms:

coup de main; surprise attack

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("coup de main" is a kind of...):

attack; onrush; onset; onslaught ((military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "coup de main"):

terrorist attack (a surprise attack involving the deliberate use of violence against civilians in the hope of attaining political or religious aims)

ambuscade; ambush; lying in wait; trap (the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise)

pre-emptive strike (a surprise attack that is launched in order to prevent the enemy from doing it to you)