coast guard

noun

1

: a military or naval force employed in guarding a coast or responsible for the safety, order, and operation of maritime traffic in neighboring waters

2

usually coastguard

ˈkōs(t)-ˌgärd 

chiefly British : coastguardsman

Examples of coast guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In December, China also fielded its largest regional maritime deployment in decades – including multiple formations of Chinese naval and coast guard vessels – in regional waters and around the Taiwan Strait, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. —Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025

Last month, China sent nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels into waters in the area, its largest such operation in almost three decades. —Meaghan Tobin, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025

This has led to escalating friction with many of China’s neighbors who believe that the country’s coast guard has intruded into their exclusive economic zones. —Dylan Butts, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2024

The Spanish coast guard said the boat carrying the pregnant mother had embarked from Tan-Tan, a province in Morocco about 135 nautical miles southeast of Lanzarote. —Fox News, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

coast guard

noun

1

: a seagoing force for protecting a coast and people and property at sea

2

usually coastguard chiefly British : coastguardsman