Coast Guard

noun

1. 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.

2. (lowercase),  any similar organization for aiding navigation, preventing smuggling, etc.

3. Also called coastguardsman. (lowercase),  a member of any such organization.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Coast Guard¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

"The Chinese think its technology that creates deterrence. They believe that will deter the US... but at the operational level, there have been instances which show they may not be as good as they say they are", Dr Raska says, pointing to recent encounters such as an incident last month when a Chinese warship rammed one of its own smaller vessels as they confronted the Philippine coast guard.

From BBC

But when Coast Guard crews boarded the boat last week in Northern California, officials found no one on board.

From Los Angeles Times

Strohmaier said the Coast Guard would not be the agency to investigate how Kawahara went missing, and there’s no indication that another law enforcement agency is looking into the incident either.

From Los Angeles Times

But according to the Coast Guard, the Karolee had maintained a constant southerly course for several days, keeping at four knots.

From Los Angeles Times

The boat’s automatic identification system, according to the Coast Guard, was functioning and showed no signs that anything was wrong.

From Los Angeles Times