coast guard

noun

The organisation or officer enforcing maritime law and policing the seas within territorial waters.

Meanings

coast guard1

nouncoast guard (plural coast guards)

plural coast guards · alternative coastguard

  1. The organisation or officer enforcing maritime law and policing the seas within territorial waters.

    I went down to the coast guard to see what they're guarding / "See what the sign says, you idiot, we're guarding the coast"

    2018, Bill Wurtz, “Long Long Long Journey”

Coast Guard2

proper noun
  1. governmentThe coast guard of a particular armed forces.
  2. USabbreviationellipsisgovernmentEllipsis of United States Coast Guard.

    An ultra-marathoner’s attempt to “run” from Florida to Bermuda in an inflatable bubble was cut short when the Coast Guard towed him back to land – for the second time.

    2016 April 25, Madison Park, “Coast Guard rescues man running in a bubble in the ocean, again”, in CNN

Origin

From coast + guard. Compare Old English sǣweard (“coastguard”, literally “sea-guard”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans kuswag
  • kuswagenforcer of maritime law
Basque kostazaintza
  • kostazaintzaenforcer of maritime law
Bulgarian брегова охрана
  • брегова охрана (bregova ohrana)enforcer of maritime law
Catalan guardacostes, guàrdia costanera
  • guardacostesenforcer of maritime law
  • guàrdia costaneraenforcer of maritime law
Chinese Mandarin 海岸警衛隊 /海岸警卫队, 海岸警備隊 /海岸警备队
  • 海岸警衛隊 /海岸警卫队 (hǎi'àn jǐngwèiduì)enforcer of maritime law
  • 海岸警備隊 /海岸警备队 (hǎi'àn jǐngbèiduì)enforcer of maritime law
  • 海岸巡防隊 /海岸巡防队 (hǎi'àn xúnfángduì)enforcer of maritime law
  • 海警 (hǎijǐng)enforcer of maritime law
Danish kystvagt
  • kystvagtenforcer of maritime law
Dutch kustwacht
  • kustwachtenforcer of maritime law
Estonian merevalve
  • merevalveenforcer of maritime law
Finnish merivartiosto, merivartija
  • merivartiostoenforcer of maritime law
  • merivartijaenforcer of maritime law
French garde-côte
  • garde-côteenforcer of maritime law
German Küstenwache
  • Küstenwacheenforcer of maritime law
Greek ακτοφύλακας
  • ακτοφύλακας (aktofýlakas)enforcer of maritime law
Hindi तटरक्षक
  • तटरक्षक (taṭrakṣak)enforcer of maritime law
Hungarian parti őrség
  • parti őrségenforcer of maritime law
Irish feighlí mara, garda cósta
  • feighlí maraenforcer of maritime law
  • garda cóstaenforcer of maritime law
  • vaidhtéirenforcer of maritime law
Italian guardia costiera
  • guardia costieraenforcer of maritime law
Japanese 沿岸警備隊
  • 沿岸警備隊 (engan keibitai)enforcer of maritime law
Korean 해안경비대, 해양경찰
  • 해안경비대 (haean'gyeongbidae)enforcer of maritime law
  • 해양경찰 (haeyanggyeongchal)enforcer of maritime law
Norwegian Bokmål kystvakt
  • kystvaktenforcer of maritime law
Polish straż przybrzeżna
  • straż przybrzeżnaenforcer of maritime law
Portuguese guarda costeira
  • guarda costeiraenforcer of maritime law
Russian берегова́я охра́на
  • берегова́я охра́на (beregovája oxrána)enforcer of maritime law
Scottish Gaelic maor-cladaich
  • maor-cladaichenforcer of maritime law
Spanish guardacostas, guardia costera
  • guardacostasenforcer of maritime law
  • guardia costeraenforcer of maritime law
Swedish kustbevakning
  • kustbevakningenforcer of maritime law
Tagalog bantay-dagat, guwardakosta
  • bantay-dagatenforcer of maritime law
  • guwardakostaenforcer of maritime law
  • tanudpasiganenforcer of maritime law
Turkish sahil güvenlik
  • sahil güvenlikenforcer of maritime law
Ukrainian морська́ охоро́на
  • морська́ охоро́на (morsʹká oxoróna)enforcer of maritime law
Vietnamese cảnh sát biển, tuần duyên
  • cảnh sát biểnenforcer of maritime law
  • tuần duyênenforcer of maritime law
Welsh gwyliwr y glannau
  • gwyliwr y glannauenforcer of maritime law
Cite this entry
APA

coast guard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coast%20guard

MLA

“coast guard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coast%20guard. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “coast guard,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coast%20guard.

Source: coast guard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.