coach

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
a
: a large usually closed four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage having doors in the sides and an elevated seat in front for the driver
On special occasions the queen rides in a gold coach.
b
: a railroad passenger car intended primarily for day travel
Smoking is not permitted in the train's coaches.
c
: bus sense 1a
toured the city by coach
e
: a 2-door enclosed automobile
f
: a class of passenger air transportation at a lower fare than first class
We reserved two seats in coach.
2
[from the concept that the tutor conveys the student through examinations]
a
: a private tutor
hired a coach to help her daughter prepare for the test
b
: one who instructs or trains
an acting coach
a birth coach
especially : one who instructs players in the fundamentals of a sport and directs team strategy
a football coach
a pitching coach
a gymnastics coach

Illustration of coach

Illustration of coach
  • coach 1a

coach

2 of 2

verb

coached; coaching; coaches

intransitive verb

1
: to go in a coach
2
: to instruct, direct, or prompt as a coach
When an injury ended his playing career, he decided to coach.

transitive verb

1
: to train intensively (as by instruction and demonstration)
coach pupils
The lawyer coached the witness.
2
: to act as coach of
coach tennis
coach a team
coachable adjective
coacher noun

Examples of coach in a Sentence

Noun a track star who has been working with a new coach In those days, people usually traveled long distances in coaches. Verb He coaches the tennis star. He has coached the team for several years. She coached the U.S. gymnastics team at the Olympics. He has coached at the college level for many years. The lawyer admitted to coaching the witness. It was clear that the witness had been coached by her lawyer on how to answer the questions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Joe says he was told that Peck was a skilled coach who could help his son to book more acting gigs. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 On a Saturday, Shildt was a bench coach in the shadows. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 Seeing Olesen’s frontrunner potential, the coach hit his Playoff Pass button, which allowed Olesen to skip the Knockouts round and advance to the season Playoffs. USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 The contestants impressed the coaches with their obvious talent, and earned a few hollers with a smoking hot conclusion. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024 Players from both benches ran toward the melee; coaches rushed to separate them. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2024 Players and coaches have harped on the topic, but issues continue to crop up. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who worked on All That and The Amanda Show, was arrested in August 2003 on 11 charges, including lewd acts with a child at his home residence two years prior, according to a Los Angeles police press release. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024 The well-being and safety of every Suns employee, player, coach and stakeholder is first and foremost our priority. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
The former North Carolina quarterback, whose brothers Brock and Damon starred at Washington and went to the NFL, coached quarterbacks and was the offensive coordinator at Illinois State, Georgia State and Sacramento State. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Peck coached the victim, the release states, and the family reported Peck had molested the child over a six month period. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Take, for instance, the unlikely opponents who sent letters to the feds about their concerns—much of which was coached and coordinated behind the scenes. Philip Elliott, TIME, 18 Mar. 2024 Montoya, the longtime director of coaching at Mountain View Los Altos, was hired six months ago and immediately clicked with general manager Lucy Rushton, who was most recently the GM of DC United in MLS. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 While the plot is currently under wraps, the project is being teased as a deep dive into the world of coaching and follows the rise of a personal development guru who turns out to be toxic. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 Elliott, who has coached at Loyola Marymount, UC San Diego, Portland State and Cal Baptist, is in her third season at Point Loma Nazarene. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 In 2021, the Greenbrier County Board of Education rejected a motion to hire Justice as boys coach again after former NBA player Bimbo Coles resigned. John Raby, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 The woman also described manipulating her parents to believe Olea, who continued to coach children as recently as a month ago, was like an older brother to her 13-year-old self. Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English coche, from Middle French, from German Kutsche, from Hungarian kocsi (szekér), literally, wagon from Kocs, Hungary

First Known Use

Noun

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1608, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of coach was in 1556

Dictionary Entries Near coach

Cite this Entry

“Coach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coach. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coach

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a large usually closed four-wheeled carriage that has a raised seat in front for the driver and is drawn by horses
b
: a railroad passenger car without berths
d
: a class of passenger air transportation at a lower fare than first class
2
a
: a private tutor
b
: a person who instructs or trains a performer or team
a football coach

coach

2 of 2 verb
: to act as a coach

More from Merriam-Webster on coach

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!