coastward

[kohst-werd]

adverb

1. Also coastwards. toward the coast.

   We left the sinking ship in lifeboats and rowed coastward.

adjective

1. directed toward the coast.

   a coastward migration.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coastward¹

First recorded in 1850–55; coast + -ward

Example Sentences

A surge in the native rodent population has forced the rats to move coastwards in their search for more food, but many do not survive the trip, according to experts quoted in local media.

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Driving coastward through Mississippi last month, I hit rain.

Read more on New York Times

Travel coastward, jump two and a half centuries or so, sail into the fog, and you’ll soon make landfall in “The Lighthouse.”

Read more on The New Yorker

Our boats slid easily through the waves, three abreast, a friendly current bearing us coastward.

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The smoke settled over the west of the city on Friday night, and has drifted coastward over the course of the day.

Read more on The Guardian