coup de théâtre

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coup de théâtre

/ˌkuː.də.teɪˈɑː.tɹə/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from French coup de théâtre.

noun coups de théâtre · coup de theatre

A sudden or unexpected event in a play, pulled off by the author, the director, or even an actor. This may be due to the fact that Aeschylus, in the last play of the Oresteia (458 B.C.), brings him to Athens to stand trial for his mother's murder--a coup de théâtre that would have been spoiled if he had come from there in the first place.
Similar: twist
A theatrical trick or gesture, something staged for dramatic effect. I had arranged to track her husband down, reason with him, work on his feelings, telegraph for his wife, and in an affecting interview throw them into each other's arms. Now, goodness knows what would happen. Certainly not my beautifully conceived coup de theatre.

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MLA

"coup de théâtre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/coup%20de%20th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

coup de théâtre. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/coup%20de%20th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre

Chicago

"coup de théâtre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/coup%20de%20th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre.

BibTeX

@misc{coup_de_the_a_tre_2026,
  title = {coup de théâtre},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/coup%20de%20th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}