coup de poing
/ku də pwɛ̃/masculine
The English phrase 'punch' is translated into French as coup de poing.
coup de poing refers to a hit or a strike made with one's fist. To express the action of throwing or delivering a punch, you use the phrase donner un coup de poing.
Meaning: a hit or a strike with one's fist (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of coup (blow or hit), de (of) and poing (fist), literally translating to 'blow of fist'.
Which one should you use?
While coup de poing refers to a strike with the fist, the phrase coup de pied refers to a strike with the foot (a kick).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is masculine and is used with the indefinite article un to form un coup de poing.
How do you pronounce it?
/ku də pwɛ̃/
Did you know?
- In French, the word coup is used in hundreds of idioms to describe a sudden action, such as coup de foudre for love at first sight, which literally means a 'strike of lightning'.
- While coup de poing is a physical strike, the expression coup de main refers to giving someone a helping hand.
- The phrase coup de poing can be used as an adjective to describe something powerful or hard-hitting, such as a style coup de poing in writing or art.
Examples in context
- Il a donné un coup de poing au voyou.He threw a punch at the thug.The first sentence shows how to use coup de poing when describing a person throwing a punch at someone.Tatoeba #11357718 by lbdx, translation #3663000 by Luciosp
- Un coup de poing, c'est juste un coup de poing. Un coup de pied, c'est juste un coup de pied.A punch is just a punch. A kick is just a kick.The second sentence is useful for distinguishing between a punch and a kick.Tatoeba #433415 by qdii, translation #433414 by FeuDRenais
- Tom évita le coup de poing de Marie.Tom ducked Mary's punch.The third sentence illustrates how to use coup de poing when someone is avoiding a strike.Tatoeba #2859959 by Scott, translation #2645385 by CK
- Le boxeur a donné un coup de poing puissant.The boxer delivered a powerful punch.
- Le combattant a esquivé la frappe de son adversaire.The fighter dodged his opponent's punch.
- Le boxeur a assené un direct à son adversaire.The boxer landed a punch on his opponent.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about a movie scene.
- LucasLe héros a reçu un coup de poing énorme.The hero received a huge punch.
- EmmaC'était vraiment impressionnant.It was really impressive.
- LucasIl a même esquivé le coup de poing.He even dodged the punch.
- EmmaOui, l'acteur est très rapide.Yes, the actor is very fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “punch” translations and entries coup de poing, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
