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coast

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coast¹

  • /kəʊst/ UK
  • /koʊst/ US
  • /kəʉst/ Australia
  • /kɐʉst/ New Zealand
  • /kost/ Scotland
  • /koːst/ Wales

Rhymes with -əʊst

Where it comes from

From Middle English coste (“rib; side of the body”), from Old French coste (“rib; side of an object; coast”) (modern French côte (“rib; coast; hill, slope”)), from Latin costa (“rib; side, wall”). Doublet of costa.

Compare typologically cape < Latin caput, ness (akin to nose), Bulgarian нос (nos, “nose; …; cape, promontory, foreland, gore”), Macedonian ’рт (’rt), Serbo-Croatian рт (“cape, promontory, headland”) < Proto-Slavic *rъtъ (whence Russian рот (rot)).

noun coasts

  1. The edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake. The rocky coast of Maine has few beaches.
  2. obsolete The side or edge of something. And the Coaſt towards which the lines KL and VX are drawn, may be call’d the Coaſt of unuſual Refraction.
  3. obsolete A region of land; a district or country. 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 […]
  4. obsolete A region of the air or heavens. the learned Merlin, well could tell, / Vnder what coast of heauen the man did dwell […]

coast²

  • /kəʊst/ UK
  • /koʊst/ US
  • /kəʉst/ Australia
  • /kɐʉst/ New Zealand
  • /kost/ Scotland
  • /koːst/ Wales

Rhymes with -əʊst

Where it comes from

From Middle English costeien (“to travel along a border or coast; to go alongside (something), skirt; to accompany, follow; to travel across, traverse; to be adjacent to, to border;”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman [Term?], Old French costoier (“to be at the side of”) […] (modern French côtoyer (“to pass alongside; (figuratively) to rub shoulders”)), from Latin costicāre, from Latin costa (“rib; side, wall”); see further at etymology 1.

verb coasts · coasting · coasted

  1. intransitive To 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. intransitive To sail along a coast. The Ancients coasted only in their Navigations.

    Similar: hug the coastline

  3. figuratively, intransitive To 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.
  4. intransitive, obsolete To 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.
  5. obsolete, transitive To sail by or near; to follow the coastline of. Nearchus, […] not knowing the compass, was fain to coast that shore.
  6. obsolete, transitive To conduct along a coast or river bank. The Indians […] coasted me a long the river.
  7. Canada, US, dialectal To slide downhill; to slide on a sled upon snow or ice.

Coast³

proper noun the Coast

  1. A region of British Columbia, Canada.

    Similar: 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.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: seashore, seacoast, coastline, seaboard, nearshore, shoreline, seaside, strand, inshore, shore, marine, beach, littoral, waterfront, riparian, onshore

Translations

Every language

noun edge of land meeting ocean, sea, gulf, bay

Españolcosta, litoral
한국어연안 yeonan, 해안 haean
日本語海岸 kaigan
中文海岸 hǎi'àn, 岸 àn
हिन्दीसमुद्रतट samudrataṭ, सागरतट sāgartaṭ, तट taṭ, कनारा kanārā, किनारा kinārā, साहिल sāhil
Kiswahilipwani class XVI, ufuko, mapwa, mapwaji
Portuguêscosta, beira
Françaiscôte
DeutschKüste
Italianocosta, costiera, litorale
Ελληνικάακτή aktí
Românăcoastă, țărm de mare, coborâre la vale, liman, mal, limită
Русскиймо́рской бе́рег mórskoj béreg, побере́жье poberéžʹje, бе́рег béreg
Tiếng Việtbờ biển
العربيةسَاحِل sāḥil, شَاطِئ šāṭiʔ
עבריתשְׂפַת הַיָּם s'fát hayám, חוֹף יָם khof yam, חוֹף khof

verb to glide along with no added energy

Españolandar sin acelerar, andar sin pedalear (velocipede)
中文滑行 huáxíng
Françaisaller en roue libre
Deutschgleiten, ohne zu treten

verb to sail along a coast

Españolcostear, perlongar
Portuguêscostear
Françaiscaboter
Deutschsegeln
Italianoveleggiare sotto costa, costeggiare
Ελληνικάακτοπλοώ aktoploó

verb to make a minimal effort

Españolperecear, ni esforzarse, solamente hacer lo mínimo (más), hacer a la champa, hacer como las huevas

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Cite this
MLA

"coast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/coast. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

coast. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/coast

Chicago

"coast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/coast.

BibTeX
@misc{coast_2026,
  title = {coast},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/coast},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}