coast

American  

[kohst] / koʊst /

noun

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)

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)

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.

Related Words

See shore ¹.

Other Word Forms

• coastal adjective
• coastally adverb

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

Example Sentences

An AFP journalist who flew to Thitu Island aboard a second plane saw Chinese navy and coast guard vessels patrolling near the island.

From Barron's

In that year more than 50,000 seabirds washed up on the Europe's Atlantic coast.

From BBC

The Galapagos Islands, a World Heritage Site, are situated some 1,000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador.

From Barron's

These include recovering while at full throttle, known as "super-clip", and lifting and coasting, as well as the standard method, during braking.

From BBC

Hundreds of statues have been restored and mounted on platforms around the coast.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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