coast

noun \ ˈkōst \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

1 : the land near a shore : seashore

2 obsolete : border, frontier

3 a : a hill or slope suited to coasting

b : a slide down a slope (as on a sled)

4 often capitalized : the Pacific coast of the U.S.

5 : the immediate area of view —used in the phrase the coast is clear

—

coastal

play \ˈkōs-tᵊl\ adjective

—

coastwise

play \ˈkōst-ˌwīz\ adverb or adjective

— from coast to coast

: across an entire nation or continent

See coast defined for English-language learners

See coast defined for kids

Examples of coast in a Sentence

He lives on the coast.
He's flying out to the Coast tomorrow.

Recent Examples of coast from the Web

After the collapse of his Fortress fund, Novogratz found himself on the coast of the Bay of Bengal in India, talking to his guru, Krishnaji, at the One World Academy, trying to figure out what to do with his life.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "A Sidelined Wall Street Legend Bets on Bitcoin," 10 Apr. 2018
This was the multicultural Bay Area, of course, but Fulbeck has photographed people coast to coast, from Honolulu, Seattle and L.A. to Chicago and Boise to Syracuse and New York City.

— bonnie tsui, latimes.com, "What does it mean to be of mixed race in America? A new book and exhibition aim to answer," 6 Apr. 2018
Simulating a Viking voyage Horvath used a computer program to simulate 1,000 voyages from the port city of Bergen, Norway to the settlement of Hvarf on the southern coast of Greenland.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Mysterious sunstones in medieval Viking texts could really have worked," 6 Apr. 2018
Cyprus government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said Thursday that the country's foreign ministry will spearhead protests over the plant's future operation on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

— Fox News, "Cyprus to protest Turkey's planned nuclear power plant," 5 Apr. 2018
Hossegor, France Located on the southwestern coast of France, Hossegor is a world-famous surf destination on one of Europe’s longest white-sand beaches.

— megan michelson, Outside Online, "Best Spots to Live (for a While) as a Digital Nomad," 4 Apr. 2018
There are novels set on the coast and in the cities, across the South and abroad.

— caroline rogers, Southern Living, "Beach Reads Perfect for Summer Vacation," 3 Apr. 2018
Raabe grew up hiking with her family in the mountains around Ålesund, a small port city on an archipelago on Norway's west coast.

— julia felsenthal, Vogue, "You Need To Know About Sigrid," 3 Apr. 2018
The approximately 50 footprints were found on a peninsula on the northeast coast of the Isle of Skye, where researchers used a combination of drone footage and software to create models of the fossilized tracks.

— alix langone, Time, "These 170-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks Were Uncovered in Scotland," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of coast

Middle English cost, from Anglo-French coste, from Latin costa rib, side; akin to Old Church Slavonic kostĭ bone

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

coast

verb

transitive verb

1 obsolete : to move along or past the side of : skirt

2 : to sail along the shore of

intransitive verb

1 a archaic : to travel on land along a coast or along or past the side of something

b : to sail along the shore

2 a : to slide, run, or glide downhill by the force of gravity

b : to move along without or as if without further application of propulsive power (as by momentum or gravity)

c : to proceed easily without special application of effort or concern

coasted through school

—often used with on

a company coasting on its good reputation

See coast defined for English-language learners

Examples of coast in a Sentence

The car coasted to a stop.
The airplane coasted down the runway.
The children coasted on sleds down the snowy hill.
They came coasting down the hill on bicycles.
After taking a big lead, the team coasted to victory.
He was accused of trying to coast through school.
She decided she could coast along without a job for the next few months.
The company is coasting on its good reputation.

Recent Examples of coast from the Web

The Gulf Stream now hugs closer to coast around New York, and there's a significantly warmer bulge around Maine related to the circulation slowdown, Rahmstorf and Caesar said.

— CBS News, "Global warming is slowing Atlantic Ocean circulation, study finds," 12 Apr. 2018
Six months ago, Cuomo was coasting, seemingly plotting a presidential run that would begin less than a year into his third term.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Cynthia Nixon Is in Andrew Cuomo’s Head," 5 Apr. 2018
After an opening section coasted for a bit on a meditative air, courtesy of pinging bells and hissing high strings, the soft-grained entrance of trumpets signaled a change, without overhauling the moderate, peaceable dynamics.

— seth colter walls, New York Times, "Review: A Pulitzer Sequel for Orchestra, Packed With Drama in Microcosm," 30 Mar. 2018
So far, Villanova has been able to coast through the tournament.

— rob tornoe, Philly.com, "NCAA Tournament: CBS's Ian Eagle talks Villanova, going viral after interview with his son," 21 Mar. 2018
Even its locking rates—a modest 25 percent under acceleration and 45 percent when coasting—are unchanged.

— josh jacquot, Car and Driver, "2018 Audi R8 RWS," 9 Mar. 2018
Some players, especially high scorers, tend to coast from time to time.

— terry monahan, Pomerado News, "Her goal: 100-point lacrosse season," 29 Mar. 2018
If fantasy baseball is an accurate gauge for reality, the Astros should coast to another title.

— michael salfino, WSJ, "Real or Fantasy: The Astros Are Really Good," 23 Mar. 2018
Lightly raced Justify coasted to victory March 11 in a Santa Anita allowance, his second win in as many starts.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "These horses emerged as Kentucky Derby favorites after an epic duel in California | The Sacramento Bee," 16 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of coast

14th century

coast Synonyms

COAST Defined for English Language Learners

coast

noun

: the land along or near a sea or ocean
the Coast : the area along or near the Pacific Ocean

coast

verb

: to move forward using no power or very little power
: to move downhill by the force of gravity
: to progress or have success without special effort

COAST Defined for Kids

coast

noun \ ˈkōst \

: the land near a shore

coast

verb

coasted; coasting

1 : to move downhill by the force of gravity

2 : to sail close to shore along a coast

Learn More about coast

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for coast Spanish Central: Translation of coast Nglish: Translation of coast for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of coast for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coast

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coast

coastal

coastwise

Examples of coast in a Sentence

Recent Examples of coast from the Web

Origin and Etymology of coast

coast

Examples of coast in a Sentence

Recent Examples of coast from the Web

First Known Use of coast

coast Synonyms

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COAST Defined for English Language Learners

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coast

COAST Defined for Kids

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