coastal
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- coastally adverb
Etymology
Origin of coastal
Explanation
Coastal things are near the ocean. If you like spending time at the beach, you might take a trip to a sunny, coastal vacation spot. Be sure to pack your swimsuit! You might read phrases like "coastal waters" or "coastal erosion" in an environmental science textbook. The coast is the land that borders an ocean or sea, and the adjective coastal describes things that affect the coast or are located there. Before it meant "edge of the land," coast referred to a body part—specifically, the rib or "flank."
Vocabulary lists containing coastal
The United States
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South America - Middle School
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Canada - Introductory
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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.
“Maritime access restrictions are being enforced affecting Iranian ports and coastal areas, including locations along the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz,” U.K.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
“In the bigger scheme of things, I’m pretty worried that we’re losing our coastal communities, and we’re losing our ability to deliver marine protein to the people of California.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
I like the one-hour coastal loop between Langdon Hill and Golden Cap, the highest point on England’s south coast.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Keeping it coastal is Boardmasters, with the Cornwall festival playing host to Fatboy Slim, Lily Allen and The Kooks for 5-9 August.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Archaeologists have excavated hundreds of American sites unequivocally dating to between 2000 and 11,000 B.C., including dozens of Clovis sites in the North American West, rock shelters in the Appalachians, and sites in coastal California.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
