coast

American  

[kohst] / koʊst /

noun

• coasts
  plural

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)

• coasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coasted,
  past participle,  past
• coasting
  present participle

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)

• coasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coasted,
  past participle,  past
• coasting
  present participle

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.

Synonym Usage

See shore ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coastal
  adjective
• coastally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• coasts
  plural

Participles

• coasting
  present
• coasted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• coast
  simple
• coasts
  simple
• have coasted
  perfect
• has coasted
  perfect
• am coasting
  progressive
• are coasting
  progressive
• is coasting
  progressive
• have been coasting
  perfect progressive
• has been coasting
  perfect progressive

Past

• coasted
  simple
• had coasted
  perfect
• was coasting
  progressive
• were coasting
  progressive
• had been coasting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will coast
  simple
• will have coasted
  perfect
• will be coasting
  progressive
• will have been coasting
  perfect progressive

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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

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Explanation

The noun coast describes the area where the land meets the sea — the seashore. When your mom says, "We're going to the coast," pack your bathing suit, because you'll be near the ocean. Coast also has a verb form that describes an effortless movement, like when you're riding your bike down a hill and you don't have to pedal at all. It can also be used figuratively to describe something that's gained without much difficulty. You might coast to victory in the playoffs when your team wins 8-0 and is never threatened.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coast coasts coasted coasting

Coast Guard rescued 16 people from the ocean about 120 miles off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico, early Friday and is continuing to search for others who may still be in the water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Martin Kelly told BBC Verify that Iran is widening its attacks and targeting ships near the coast of Gulf Arab states and in the Gulf of Oman.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

However, the hurricane's powerful inner core was still moving close enough to threaten communities along the coast.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

“After the pandemic, I had a cognition that I didn’t need to live on either coast, quite frankly,” said Foster, who shares two children with ex-wife, “Orange is the New Black” actress Laura Prepon.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

It was also in 1967 that side-scan sonar proved indispensable in helping George Bass find what was then the world’s oldest shipwreck off the coast of Uluburun, Turkey.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

The quake triggered a tsunami warning for Panama and warnings of smaller but dangerous waves along the coasts of other countries in Latin America and the south Pacific.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Saudi Arabia has also resumed exports from both its Gulf and Red Sea coasts after repairing part of the damage to its East-West pipeline following an attack last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Vivmark typically owns upscale apartment buildings, often in more expensive areas such as on the coasts.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Brisk northerly winds will make it feel even chillier than the actual temperatures would suggest - especially around eastern coasts of Scotland and England.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

However, archaeological excavations, and scrutiny of descriptions left by the very first European explorers on our coasts, now suggest an initial number of around 20 million Indians.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Pop stars like Styles have broad appeal; in March, his new album coasted to No. 1.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Sometimes this happens because the studios are trying to capitalize on a moment, like when “The Minecraft Movie” coasted in on the fumes of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

Although Miles Leaburn got one back, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez scored to ensure Rosenior coasted to a debut victory against a Charlton team sitting 19th in the Championship.

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

Amy Cokayne trucked over at the back of a driven line-out and Aitchison darted in as England coasted to victory in the second half.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2025

By the time they reached the airport, touched down, and coasted to a halt, it would be far too late.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Autonomous trucks can reduce fuel consumption by 10% because they can calibrate speeds and optimize acceleration, braking and coasting with more precision, the companies say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

It sounded like your previous cleaner was coasting, in addition to leaving sticky marks under your actual coaster.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

I instead recall coasting past a flotilla of icebergs in Alaska’s Glacier Bay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

In the early races, this led to unusual behaviour, such as drivers lifting off the throttle and coasting on qualifying laps, as well as recovering energy while on full throttle.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Then we were coasting the noble island of the god, where grazed those cattle with wide brows, and bounteous flocks of Helios, lord of noon, who rides high heaven.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

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Related Words

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