Coast Guard
Americannoun
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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.
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(lowercase) any similar organization for aiding navigation, preventing smuggling, etc.
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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.
Coast Guard images showed the 67-year-old man had carved “SOS” into what looked like charred ground before being rescued by helicopter.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
The agreement is meant to streamline and consolidate software acquisition across the department, the government said, as well as the intelligence community and the Coast Guard.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
The agreement is meant to streamline and consolidate software acquisition across the Pentagon, intelligence community and Coast Guard.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Coast Guard graduates on Wednesday, told reporters in brief remarks that the U.S. and Iran were in the “final stages” of talks to end the conflict.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
Earlier that year, the Coast Guard had spotted the I’m Alone in the Gulf of Mexico, sailing in coastal lanes that rumrunners often used.
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
