coast

plural coasts

1. The edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake.First known use 14th c.

   a town on the coast of Trinidad

   2 more examples

   The rocky coast of Maine has few beaches.

   It'd be roughly on par with 2003's Bouchard No. 120 oil spill, in which an estimated 98,000 gallons spilled into Buzzards Bay off the coast of Bourne, Massachusetts.

   2015 May 21, Eliott C. McLaughlin, “How does Santa Barbara match up with other U.S. oil spills?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 01 Apr 2016

2. obsoleteThe side or edge of something.First known use 15th–18th c.

   And the Coaſt towards which the lines KL and VX are drawn, may be call’d the Coaſt of unuſual Refraction.

   1730, Isaac Newton, Opticks, 4th ed., London: […] William Innys […], page 331

3. obsoleteA region of land; a district or country.First known use 14th–17th c.

   P. Crescentius, in his lib. 1 de agric. cap. 5, is very copious in this subject, how a house should be wholesomely sited, in a good coast, good air, wind, etc.

   1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], chapter II, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition ii, section 3

   1 more example

   Then Herod perceavynge that he was moocked off the wyse men, was excedynge wroth, and sent forth and slue all the chyldren that were in bethleem, and in all the costes thereof […]

   1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew ij

4. obsoleteA region of the air or heavens.First known use 14th–17th c.

   the learned Merlin, well could tell, / Vnder what coast of heauen the man did dwell […]

   1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC

present singular third person coasts · participle present coasting · participle past coasted · past coasted

1. intransitiveTo glide along without adding energy; to allow a vehicle to continue moving forward after disengaging the engine or ceasing to apply motive power.

   When I ran out of gas, fortunately I managed to coast into a nearby gas station.

   2 more examples

   We steamed easily across the first part of the Tay Bridge, and then after passing over the long spans in mid-stream we coasted smoothly down the 1 in 114 gradient, and around the sweeping curve through Esplanade Station.

   1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 7

   Avanti West Coast has introduced the use of coasting with its Pendolino fleet, in an effort to keep disruption during overhead line equipment failures to a minimum. [...] The Class 390s coasted for three miles without power between Harrow & Wealdstone and Wembley Central, running under damaged OLE.

   2020 September 23, “Network News: AWC employs coasting to minimise disruption”, in Rail, page 26

2. intransitivenauticalTo sail along a coast.

   The Ancients coasted only in their Navigations.

   1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. Explain'd and exemplify'd in several dissertations

   1 more example

   The bold little ships even broke through the Gates of Hercules to the open ocean, coasting then northward to take the gold of Ireland and the tin of Cornwall, as well as southward, around the bulge of Senegal, to remote Yorubaland and the distant marts of ivory, gold, and slaves.

   1968, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 2nd edition, London: Fontana Press, published 1993, page 14

   Synonyms: hug the coastline

3. figurativelyintransitiveTo make a minimal effort; to continue to do something in a routine way, without initiative or effort.

   Yet the truth is that City would probably have been coasting by that point if the referee, Michael Oliver, had not turned down three separate penalties, at least two of which could be accurately described as certainties.

   2014 November 2, Daniel Taylor, “Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 02 Jun 2022

   3 more examples

   Rehearsal goes reasonably. Wheeler long ago swore that he would never coast through a performance, and he plays decently well. But it seems to him as if a lot of the orchestra is distracted. Some cues get missed. He makes meaningful eye contact with the conductor a couple of times, and they share a frustrated look. When they break for dinner, late in the afternoon, the conductor, whose name is Luján, privately remarks to him, "Their eyes need fixing."

   2019 April 10, qntm, “CASE HATE RED”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2025, page 136

   There’s a similar “sure but what else?” vibe to Made for Love, HBO Max’s new high-concept half-hour comedy, gently coasting on its WTF setup for longer than it should, to the detriment of the main star Cristin Milioti, trying her very best to secure our attention as it slowly drifts elsewhere.

   2021 March 31, Benjamin Lee, “Made for Love review – Black Mirror-esque comedy needs an upgrade”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 10 Jul 2021

   “I just assumed that because she’s, like, really hot and got loads of followers and is Taylor’s [Taylor Fritz's] girlfriend, she’s basically coasting,” said Ms. Barber, who used the phrase “train wreck” to describe her expectations for the project.

   2023 August 30, Jessica Testa, quoting Grace Barber, “The Most Famous Woman in Men’s Tennis”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 13 Jan 2024

4. intransitiveobsoleteTo draw near to; to approach; to keep near, or by the side of.

   Anon she hears them chant it lustily, / And all in haste she coasteth to the cry.

   1593, [William Shakespeare], Venus and Adonis, London: […] Richard Field, […], →OCLC

   1 more example

   The 25. day of the same moneth we fell with the Cape Cantin , vpon the coast of Barbarie , and coasting along , the 27. day we found an Island called Mogado

   1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, […], London: […] George Bishop and Ralph Newberie, deputies to Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC

5. obsoletetransitiveTo sail by or near; to follow the coastline of.

   Nearchus, […] not knowing the compass, was fain to coast that shore.

   1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC

6. obsoletetransitiveTo conduct along a coast or river bank.

   The Indians […] coasted me a long the river.

   1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, […], London: […] George Bishop and Ralph Newberie, deputies to Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC

7. CanadaUSdialectalTo slide downhill; to slide on a sled upon snow or ice.

1. A region of British Columbia, Canada.

   Synonyms: British Columbia Coast, BC Coast, B.C. Coast, B. C. Coast, Coast of British Columbia, Coast of BC, Coast of B.C., Coast of B. C.