Coast Guard

American

noun

U.S. Military. a military service under the Department of Transportation, which in peacetime enforces maritime laws, saves lives and property at sea, and maintains aids to navigation, and which in wartime may be placed under the Navy Department to augment the navy.
(lowercase) any similar organization for aiding navigation, preventing smuggling, etc.
Also called coastguardsman. (lowercase) a member of any such organization.

Etymology

Origin of Coast Guard

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

The legislation restores normal funding to agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Secret Service.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Now, government officials say they’re talking to the Coast Guard about bringing him by boat.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

The Coast Guard and ferry companies have implemented safety measures and captains are being trained to give the whales space, slow down and call in sightings.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

On the morning of July 5, Pecora Cardenas followed vans full of Border Patrol agents after they left a Coast Guard station in San Pedro, south of Los Angeles, livestreaming their movements on Instagram.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Soon she was solving ciphers for the Coast Guard “in emergencies.”

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023