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

Winter In The Outer Banks Draws The Eyes To The Skies For Incredible Stargazing A string of islands off the coast of North Carolina is the perfect place to escape artificial lights and find the natural ones, including meteor showers, shooting stars, and twinkling constellations. —Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025

The island is off the northwest coast of Michigan's lower peninsula. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 31 Dec. 2024

Verb

In other words, don’t coast, no matter what the conditions. —Eli Amdur, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024

As a result, the magnetic north pole continues to coast toward Siberia. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 26 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