coup de foudre

/ˈkuː də ˈfuːdɹə/

noun

A sudden unexpected event, especially an emotional one; love at first sight.

OriginFrench coup de foudre →
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Meanings

nouncoup de foudre (plural coups de foudre)

plural coups de foudre

  1. A sudden unexpected event, especially an emotional one; love at first sight.

    They immediately fell madly in love. A lightning bolt. Coup de foudre.

    2023, Pamela Anderson, Love, Pamela, →ISBN
    1 more example

    The encounter with Laura that Good Friday was a coup de foudre, and for the rest of his life he was to adore her, mostly from afar.

    2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 84

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
love at first sight

Origin

  1. Frenchcoup de foudre“lightning strike”
  2. Englishcoup de foudre

Borrowed from French coup de foudre (“lightning strike”).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

coup de foudre. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coup%20de%20foudre

MLA

“coup de foudre.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coup%20de%20foudre. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “coup de foudre,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coup%20de%20foudre.

Source: coup de foudre on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.