coast

1 of 2

noun

ˈkōst 

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

ˈkō-stᵊl 

adjective

coastwise

ˈkōst-ˌwīz 

adverb or adjective

coast

2 of 2

verb

coasted; coasting; coasts

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

Phrases

from coast to coast

: across an entire nation or continent

Synonyms

Verb

• bowl
• breeze
• brush
• cruise
• drift
• flow
• glide
• roll
• sail
• skim
• slide
• slip
• stream
• sweep
• whisk

Examples of coast in a Sentence

Noun

He lives on the coast.

He's flying out to the Coast tomorrow.

Verb

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 on the Web

Noun

Last year, an ancient, still-active volcano was found off the Canadian coast, covered in millions of giant eggs laid by Pacific white skates (a hauntingly beautiful cartilaginous fish that looks like a stingray). —Scott Travers, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024

The coast live oaks, one of the most effective lines of natural fire defense in the mountains, started struggling too. —Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024

Verb

Each introduces an element of possible chaos into mature organizations that have coasted for years, if not decades, without ever entertaining such disturbing thoughts. —Bill Fischer, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Dallas cut the deficit to eight points, but the Thunder were able to hold the Mavs at bay and OKC coasted to a 118-104 win. —Kevin Dotson, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing coast

• coast guard
• coast redwood
• coast-to-coast
• gold coast
• master chief petty officer of the coast guard
• the coast is clear

Kids Definition

coast

1 of 2 noun

ˈkōst 

1

: the land near a shore : seashore

2

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

3

: the present area in view

the coast is clear

coastal

ˈkōst-ᵊl 

adjective

coast

2 of 2 verb

1

: to sail along the shore of

2

a

: to slide downhill by the force of gravity

b

: to move along (as on a bicycle when not pedaling) without applying power

3

: to succeed without special effort

coasted through school