coach
Americannoun
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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)
verb (used without object)
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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:
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
Heading into training camp, Rams coach Sean McVay says a Super Bowl title won’t necessarily determine if the season has been a success or failure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Andrea Pirlo has said he is no longer a candidate to coach the Italian national side following days of controversy over his ties to a Russian betting company.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
"Seeing all of the team-mates, coaches and getting my medal. I saw my personal coach from Birmingham. It was so nice."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“What's on your mind, kiddo?” she says, locking me in one of those coach stares that feel like she can see all my secrets.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
While the duo set the trail ablaze, they have passed the baton to a trio of coaches — Inouye-Perez, Walker and Fernandez, who have spent a combined 72 years in Westwood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
A cordon has been placed either end of the bridge, which crosses the Thames next to the Houses of Parliament, and buses and coaches travelling on it were forced to reverse and find another route.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Injuries, subpar performances by Rams players and coaches, and outstanding clutch play by opponents — see the 2025 Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks — could derail the Rams’ presumptive date with destiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But if he gets a chance, it will be instructive for United's coaches to see how he copes with senior opponents.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The coaches would whisper to one another, “Look, Mrs. Biles is here.”
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Crespi coach Brad Vonnahme grew up in the Central Valley and coached at Fresno State.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
He was celebrating Monday after his two sons, Davis and Parker, coached the 18U club team to the AAU Open Junior National Championship in Orlando, Fla.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Martha, who had been carefully coached in private caucus, arose.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
“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
The Dodgers’ All-Stars, along with Roberts and his coaching staff, left for Philadelphia two weeks ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
He was part of an interim coaching staff at Rangers in 2021 and worked in the Spurs academy, before leaving in 2024 to pursue a full-time managerial role.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
That adaptability offers Chelsea additional options, with head coach Xabi Alonso having used both systems during his coaching career.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
He was coaching some boys from Ugwu Agidi for the local government high-jump championships.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
