coast

coast¹ W3S3 [kəust US koust] n

[Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: coste, from Latin costa 'rib, side']

1.)

the area where the land meets the sea

→↑coastal coast of

▪ the west coast of Africa

▪ We drove along the Pacific coast to Seattle.

on the coast

▪ I used to live in a small village on the coast (=on the land near the sea) .

off the coast

▪ a small island off the coast (=in the sea near the land) of Scotland

▪ the first European to cross Africa coast to coast

▪ a deserted stretch of coast

2.) the coast is clear informal

if the coast is clear, it is safe for you to do something without being seen or caught

coast ²

coast² v [I]

1.) [usually + adverb/preposition]

if a car or bicycle coasts, it moves without any effort from you or any power from the engine

coast down/around/along etc

▪ Bev coasted downhill on her bicycle.

2.) to not try very hard to do something well - used to show disapproval

▪ Janey's teacher says she's just coasting at school.

3.) to be successful at something without much effort

▪ They scored three goals in the first half and from then on United were coasting.

coast to/through

▪ The Ugandan relay team are coasting to victory .

4.) to sail along the coast while staying close to land