coast Hear it!

coast definition

coast (kōst)

noun

  1. land alongside the sea; seashore
  2. Obsolete frontier; borderland
  3. Etymology: < CdnFr, hillside, slope

    an incline down which a slide is taken
  4. ☆ a slide or ride, as on a sled going down an incline by the force of gravity

Etymology: ME coste, coast < OFr, a rib, hill, shore, coast < L costa, a rib, side

intransitive verb

  1. to sail near or along a coast, esp. from port to port
  2. ☆ to go down an incline, as on a sled
  3. ☆ to continue in motion on momentum or by the force of gravity after propelling power has stopped
  4. ☆ to continue without serious effort, letting one's past efforts carry one along

transitive verb

to sail along or near the coast of
coast Idioms

the Coast

Informal in the U.S., the Pacific coast

the coast is clear

there is no apparent danger or hindrance

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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COAST and SHORE184 years ago

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