Coast Meaning
/kəʊst/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake.
nounThe side or edge of something.
Sentence Examples
The plane rose sharply before leveling off as it left the coast.
Driving along the coast is wonderful.
The trawler was fishing off the coast of Iceland.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The family drove along the scenic ____ to watch the waves crash.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We took a long drive along the ____ to enjoy the beautiful ton.
Word Origin & History
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)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The family drove along the scenic ____ to watch the waves crash.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We took a long drive along the ____ to enjoy the beautiful ton.