coach
Americannoun
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coaches
plural
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a large, horse-drawn, four-wheeled carriage, usually enclosed.
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a public motorbus.
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Railroads. day coach.
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Also called air coach. a class of airline travel providing less luxurious accommodations than first class at a lower fare.
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a person who trains an athlete or a team of athletes.
a football coach.
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a private tutor who prepares a student for an examination.
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a person who instructs an actor or singer.
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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.
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Nautical. an after cabin in a sailing ship, located beneath the poop deck, for use especially by the commander of the ship.
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a type of inexpensive automobile with a boxlike, usually two-door, body manufactured in the 1920s.
verb (used with object)
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coaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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coached,
past participle, past
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coaching
present participle
verb (used without object)
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coaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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coached,
past participle, past
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coaching
present participle
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to act as a coach.
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to go by or in a coach.
adverb
noun
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a vehicle for several passengers, used for transport over long distances, sightseeing, etc
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a large four-wheeled enclosed carriage, usually horse-drawn
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a railway carriage carrying passengers
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a trainer or instructor
a drama coach
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a tutor who prepares students for examinations
verb
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to give tuition or instruction to (a pupil)
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(tr) to transport in a bus or coach
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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coachabilitynoun
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coachernoun
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overcoachverb
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outcoachverb (used with object)
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coachableadjective
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uncoachableadjective
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uncoachedadjective
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well-coachedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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coachsimple
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coachessimple
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have coachedperfect
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has coachedperfect
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am coachingprogressive
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are coachingprogressive
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is coachingprogressive
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have been coachingperfect progressive
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has been coachingperfect progressive
Past
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coachedsimple
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had coachedperfect
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was coachingprogressive
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were coachingprogressive
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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:
“I think he’s improved a lot with his reads,” interim coach Terrence Whitehead said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
In Leeds, Root confirmed he had been in daily contact with Fleming, and Tongue has also heard from the incoming coach.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Svitolina added: “When we warmed up this morning, I told my coach it would be amazing if we can win just a few games.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Former NFL tight end Dennis Pitta, an assistant coach with the Tritons, said, “He’s as hard of a worker and as good as an athlete you could ask for.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Usually, Camille is chatting about who asked who to homecoming while Andre complains about the assistant lacrosse coach who hates his guts or the sea monster he can’t kill in whatever video game he’s playing.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Ask anyone who regularly watches kids football and they will have their own stories about unacceptable conduct involving coaches and parents.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
One such company is Aurelian, which sells software that coaches 911 dispatchers and automates nonemergency calls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Both coaches said they faced competition to land Hendrick after last week’s restraining order was granted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
He reels off more than 20 names who have become coaches or managers, a list including Wales boss Craig Bellamy.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
I didn’t know much about Akhi, but he seemed really nice and invested in the development of his students, so I didn’t hesitate to tell Peter that I wanted to switch coaches.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Santa Margarita will open the season Friday by playing host to Jones High of Orlando, Fla. — a team coached by former Atlanta Falcons defensive back Elijah Williams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Ludwick said he got teary-eyed watching a player he had coached for years do something that had never been done before.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Before then, he coached Meadows to international success.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Argentine coached Iraola at Athletic Club between 2011 and 2013 and, speaking to Sky Sports in 2023, the Liverpool boss acknowledged this influence.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Better than any eighth grader he had ever coached before.
From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt
When he stopped playing in 2015, MLB franchises were lining up to hire him for various coaching and front-office roles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
It has been more than 40 years since Benitez began coaching at Real Madrid and, this summer, he finds himself in the unusual position of being without a job.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
When Arsenal replaced Arsène Wenger after 22 years, it took the club five seasons and two coaching changes just to finish in the top four again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
From L.A. to Alabama, dozens of former NFL players are trading traditional retirement for coaching high school football, giving back to the next generation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
She had been coaching some of them since her first season, when they were younger than ten years old.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
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.
