coast

American  

[kohst] / koʊst /

noun

• coasts
  plural

1. the land next to the sea; seashore.

   the rocky coast of Maine.

   Synonyms:

   littoral, seaside, strand

2. the region adjoining it.

   They live on the coast, a few miles from the sea.

3. a hill or slope down which one may slide on a sled.

4. a slide or ride down a hill or slope, as on a sled.

5. Obsolete. the boundary or border of a country.

6. Informal. the Coast, (in the U.S. and Canada) the region bordering on the Pacific Ocean; the West Coast.

   I'm flying out to the Coast next week.

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verb (used without object)

• coasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coasted,
  past participle,  past
• coasting
  present participle

1. to slide on a sled down a snowy or icy hillside or incline.

2. to descend a hill or the like, as on a bicycle, without using pedals.

3. to continue to move or advance after effort has ceased; keep going on acquired momentum.

   We cut off the car engine and coasted for a while.

4. to advance or proceed with little or no effort, especially owing to one's actual or former assets, as wealth, position, or name, or those of another.

   The actor coasted to stardom on his father's name.

5. to sail along, or call at the various ports of, a coast.

6. Obsolete. to proceed in a roundabout way.

verb (used with object)

• coasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coasted,
  past participle,  past
• coasting
  present participle

1. to cause to move along under acquired momentum.

   to coast a rocket around the sun.

2. to proceed along or near the coast of.

3. Obsolete. to keep alongside of (a person moving).

4. Obsolete. to go by the side or border of.

idioms

1. the coast is clear, no danger or impediment exists; no persons are in the path or vicinity.

   The boys waited until the coast was clear before climbing over the wall.

coast British  

/ kəʊst /

noun

1. 1. the line or zone where the land meets the sea or some other large expanse of water

   2. ( in combination )

      coastland

2. the seaside

3. 1. a slope down which a sledge may slide

   2. the act or an instance of sliding down a slope

4. obsolete borderland or frontier

5. informal the obstacles or dangers are gone

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verb

1. to move or cause to move by momentum or force of gravity

2. (intr) to proceed without great effort

   to coast to victory

3. to sail along (a coast)

Usage

What does coast mean? As a noun, coast most commonly refers to the land next to the sea or ocean, or the region near it. As a verb, coast often means to move along smoothly or without much effort, but it is used differently in different contexts. Coast has many specific definitions, but they are all related to one of these two main meanings. Example: During our bike ride, we coasted down the mountain road, where you can see almost the entire coast of the island.

Synonym Usage

See shore ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coastal
  adjective
• coastally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• coasts
  plural

Participles

• coasting
  present
• coasted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• coast
  simple
• coasts
  simple
• have coasted
  perfect
• has coasted
  perfect
• am coasting
  progressive
• are coasting
  progressive
• is coasting
  progressive
• have been coasting
  perfect progressive
• has been coasting
  perfect progressive

Past

• coasted
  simple
• had coasted
  perfect
• was coasting
  progressive
• were coasting
  progressive
• had been coasting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will coast
  simple
• will have coasted
  perfect
• will be coasting
  progressive
• will have been coasting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of coast

First recorded in 1325–75; (noun) Middle English cost(e), < Anglo-French, Middle French, from Latin costa “rib, side, wall”; (verb) Middle English cost(e)yen, costen, from Anglo-French costeier, Old French costoier, derivative of the noun

Explanation

The noun coast describes the area where the land meets the sea — the seashore. When your mom says, "We're going to the coast," pack your bathing suit, because you'll be near the ocean. Coast also has a verb form that describes an effortless movement, like when you're riding your bike down a hill and you don't have to pedal at all. It can also be used figuratively to describe something that's gained without much difficulty. You might coast to victory in the playoffs when your team wins 8-0 and is never threatened.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coast coasts coasted coasting

The epicentre of the shallow quake was located just off the north coast of Flores, geological authorities said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Sea Legend dispatched the containership Dubai Tower from Ningbo, China, to Felixstowe in the U.K. on what it calls the Arctic Express, following a route along Russia’s north coast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

This year, the eco-tour company Natural Habitat Adventures is debuting the archipelago’s first-ever electric panga, a maneuverable skiff ideal for exploring the coast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Dalazen, from Sao Paulo, was on a shark-diving trip on the Brazilian coast in April when she suddenly felt "strong pressure" on her leg.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

‘Just for a day or two. We’ll come and get you when the coast is clear,’ they said.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

East and West coasts import foreign fuel to meet local demand largely because there are few Jones Act-compliant oil tankers or cargo ships, and they command higher shipping prices than foreign vessels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Before leaving Mississippi, Kiffin had spurned fan bases on both coasts, across college football and the NFL.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Dix was a baseball prodigy too cocky and flashy for his own good who now coasts through life on his long-ago heroics coupled with charm and an undeserved diet of luck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Top among them are the United States, where Americans on both coasts enjoy the cocktail hour staple -- but whose interior has yet to be seduced by the spritz.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

The milkfish is cultivated in shallow ponds along the coasts of these countries.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Sometimes this happens because the studios are trying to capitalize on a moment, like when “The Minecraft Movie” coasted in on the fumes of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

That proved to be enough – and it wasn't all that close, as the challenger coasted to what appears to be a double-digit victory.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

But the absence of the two centers had little effect on Detroit as they coasted to a wire-to-wire victory in Toronto.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

He says he has coasted through some classes for his government major, but has to work harder in his physics major.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025

While the plane coasted off to make another turn, she covered Kapu with flakes.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

It sounded like your previous cleaner was coasting, in addition to leaving sticky marks under your actual coaster.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Every successful actor probably has a nightmare that one day the phone stops ringing and you’re coasting on fading glory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

And coasting into the next phase of this tournament isn’t just a salve for the heartburn that the Americans tend to give their own fans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

But it didn’t seem to bother him, and he got quite used to coasting through politics.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026

I waved at Geneva and then fell on my sled in the tire tracks and slid quickly down the mountain, coasting all the way to the mine.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• bank
• beach
• coastline
• seaboard
• shore
• shoreline