coach
Americannoun
-
a large, horse-drawn, four-wheeled carriage, usually enclosed.
-
a public motorbus.
-
Railroads. day coach.
-
Also called air coach. a class of airline travel providing less luxurious accommodations than first class at a lower fare.
-
a person who trains an athlete or a team of athletes.
a football coach.
-
a private tutor who prepares a student for an examination.
-
a person who instructs an actor or singer.
-
Baseball. a playing or nonplaying member of the team at bat who is stationed in the box outside first or third base to signal instructions to and advise base runners and batters.
-
Nautical. an after cabin in a sailing ship, located beneath the poop deck, for use especially by the commander of the ship.
-
a type of inexpensive automobile with a boxlike, usually two-door, body manufactured in the 1920s.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to act as a coach.
-
to go by or in a coach.
adverb
noun
-
a vehicle for several passengers, used for transport over long distances, sightseeing, etc
-
a large four-wheeled enclosed carriage, usually horse-drawn
-
a railway carriage carrying passengers
-
a trainer or instructor
a drama coach
-
a tutor who prepares students for examinations
verb
-
to give tuition or instruction to (a pupil)
-
(tr) to transport in a bus or coach
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
coachabilitynoun
-
coachernoun
-
overcoachverb
-
outcoachverb (used with object)
-
coachableadjective
-
uncoachableadjective
-
uncoachedadjective
-
well-coachedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
coachsimple
-
coachessimple
-
have coachedperfect
-
has coachedperfect
-
am coachingprogressive
-
are coachingprogressive
-
is coachingprogressive
-
have been coachingperfect progressive
-
has been coachingperfect progressive
Past
-
coachedsimple
-
had coachedperfect
-
was coachingprogressive
-
were coachingprogressive
-
had been coachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coach
First recorded in 1550–60; 1840–50 for sense “tutor”; earlier coche(e), from Middle French coche, from German Kotsche, Kutsche, from Hungarian kocsi, short for kocsi szekér “cart of Kocs,” town on the main road between Vienna and Budapest; senses referring to tutoring from the conception of the tutor as one who carries the student through examinations
Explanation
Nowadays, we mostly think of a coach as someone who trains a team, but it can also refer to a vehicle, such as a horse-drawn coach or coach bus (the kind with a bathroom in the back). The first meaning of coach was in the mid-16th Century for a carriage, probably named for Kocs, the Hungarian village where they were first made and called kocsi. In the mid-19th Century, the name was given to railway cars, and nowadays the least expensive travel class is described as "coach." It's thought that the idea of a coach as a teacher came about because of the idea that a coach "carries" a student to success through his or her teaching.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When Rams coach Sean McVay delivered the news to members of the nonprofits at Rams training camp Monday, kids’ jaws dropped as the group broke into applause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Even before the injury, new head coach Andoni Iraola said his squad was "very thin" defensively.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
His comments are in stark contradiction to those of Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei, who said his team were the "most oppressed" at the World Cup.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Chiefs coach Andy Reid addressed the matter on Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
“My swim coach sent me to ask that this list be updated. My name is missing.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
In its own discussions, English football felt that merely stopping players going to the technical area would not deter coaches from using goalkeepers to break up play.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Grant emphasized that all three coaches could easily walk away because of the imprint they left and the resume they built.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Lamboria credits her ASI coaches for improving his physical strength and a motivational coach and sports psychologist for sharpening her mental game.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He loves his 3-year-old brother, teammates and coaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Tucked in the middle of the forest are three training gyms, a dance studio, medical facilities, dining and recreational spaces, and cabins that can sleep up to three hundred athletes and coaches at a time.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
“I can’t turn on a television or watch a film without recognizing someone John coached, mentored or influenced,” Nesbitt said in his obituary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
He has coached Lucknow Super Giants since the 2024 season and will take over their partner club Manchester Super Giants this summer, having spent last season with London Spirit.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Liu coached the former colleague, whom he was recruiting to join OpenAI, on ways to “avoid trouble with the security team” when copying confidential files, the suit says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
I feel like new grads are being coached to come across like they are playing it cool.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Well, technically I spun on my heel. I did most of the turn on my heel and not full relevé. Not on my toes like you coached me to, Uncle Robert.”
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
“Rigidity can actually be a shield against vulnerability,” said Womble, who now runs her own dating coaching company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bishop Montgomery, which suspended its program, is back with a new coaching staff and new athletic director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Everyone in here is supportive, from the players to the coaching staff, everyone,” Tucker said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
He worked at a hotel and as a motorcycle delivery man, but eventually pursued a career in tennis coaching, starting with just 40 tennis balls.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
But what she didn’t realize was that I’d left Bannon's because it was her coaching style that made the difference for me.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
