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
Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
The ancient stone megaliths are perched at the edge of the village that shares their name, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, part of the Outer Hebrides chain of islands that sits off the northwestern coast of Scotland.
—Dan Falk, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
After the earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan’s Hualien County Wednesday morning, TSMC briefly evacuated some of its workers from its factory in Hsinchu, more than 100 miles from the epicenter.
—Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Thursday said plans to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help boost the flow of aid into the territory continue to move forward.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Because ship strikes are one of the greatest threats to the whales, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts limits boat speeds to 10 knots on the coast and in the bay during right whale season.
—Brooke Baitinger, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Gaetano Pesce was born on Nov. 8, 1939, in La Spezia, on the northwest coast of Italy.
—Fred A. Bernstein, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Oceanside completed a year-long feasibility study in 2021 that looked at possible solutions to protect its beaches from the erosion affecting most of the California coast.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
Vannes is along the western coast of France and about 300 miles southwest of Paris.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Related article Putin is coasting towards another term in power.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
On the landward side are women with parasols and schoolchildren coasting on bicycles alongside emerald green paddy fields that harbor a wealth of wetland birds: pond herons, darters, sunbirds.
—Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
The most spectacular views will require being within the path of totality, but people coast to coast still have the opportunity to take part in the astronomical event.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
When asked Sunday about the West playoff picture and whether or not Phoenix is concerned about the standings, Vogel quickly shut down any notion that his team is okay with coasting into the playoffs as a low seed.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
With 16 minutes left, Boswell’s long-range basket pushed the margin to 21, and the Wildcats coasted from there.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Trump and Biden coast, with room for consolidation Both Trump and Biden coasted in their respective parties' primaries across Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, Starship flew up to its planned orbit and completed several tasks while coasting, including opening and closing its payload door.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024
Noun
The coral fragment from the seafloor off the coast of the resort Siyam World Maldives in the Noonu Atoll had a stark contrast.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
The ancient stone megaliths are perched at the edge of the village that shares their name, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, part of the Outer Hebrides chain of islands that sits off the northwestern coast of Scotland.
—Dan Falk, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
After the earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan’s Hualien County Wednesday morning, TSMC briefly evacuated some of its workers from its factory in Hsinchu, more than 100 miles from the epicenter.
—Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Thursday said plans to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help boost the flow of aid into the territory continue to move forward.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Because ship strikes are one of the greatest threats to the whales, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts limits boat speeds to 10 knots on the coast and in the bay during right whale season.
—Brooke Baitinger, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Gaetano Pesce was born on Nov. 8, 1939, in La Spezia, on the northwest coast of Italy.
—Fred A. Bernstein, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Oceanside completed a year-long feasibility study in 2021 that looked at possible solutions to protect its beaches from the erosion affecting most of the California coast.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
Vannes is along the western coast of France and about 300 miles southwest of Paris.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Verb
Wishing to remain out of sight of the constabulary, Jenks surprised a family enjoying Christmas lunch, coasting up their private driveway unannounced.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Related article Putin is coasting towards another term in power.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
On the landward side are women with parasols and schoolchildren coasting on bicycles alongside emerald green paddy fields that harbor a wealth of wetland birds: pond herons, darters, sunbirds.
—Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
The most spectacular views will require being within the path of totality, but people coast to coast still have the opportunity to take part in the astronomical event.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
When asked Sunday about the West playoff picture and whether or not Phoenix is concerned about the standings, Vogel quickly shut down any notion that his team is okay with coasting into the playoffs as a low seed.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
With 16 minutes left, Boswell’s long-range basket pushed the margin to 21, and the Wildcats coasted from there.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Trump and Biden coast, with room for consolidation Both Trump and Biden coasted in their respective parties' primaries across Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, Starship flew up to its planned orbit and completed several tasks while coasting, including opening and closing its payload door.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near coast
Cite this Entry
“Coast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coast. Accessed 20 Apr. 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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