1
: the land near a shore : seashore
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
coasted; coasting; coasts
1
obsolete
: to move along or past the side of : skirt
2
: to sail along the shore of
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 ona company coasting on its good reputation
Synonyms
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
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
New Atlas, 19 Nov. 2024
But those controversies did not hold back the sheriff, who had previously coasted to victory in the August primary, defeating three opponents.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coast 
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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
Meanwhile Starship coasted to its landing site in the Indian Ocean.
—New Atlas, 19 Nov. 2024
But those controversies did not hold back the sheriff, who had previously coasted to victory in the August primary, defeating three opponents.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coast
Dictionary Entries Near coast
Cite this Entry
“Coast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coast. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coast
2 of 2 verb1
: 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
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