coast

coast

I

coast¹ S3 W2 /kəʊst $ koʊst/ noun1. [countable] 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
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + coast
   ▪ rocky the rocky coast of Maine
   ▪ rugged (=rough and uneven) There are sandy beaches in the west and a rugged coast in the east.
   ▪ the east/west/north/south coast We stayed on the south coast of the island.
   ▪ the Atlantic/Pacific/Mediterranean etc coast the Mediterranean coast of Spain
■ coast + NOUN
   ▪ a coast road In summer the coast road is very crowded.
   ▪ a coast path There were wonderful sea views from the coast path.
   ▪ the coast route (=the way that follows the coast) I’d prefer to take the coast route.
■ verbs
   ▪ follow the coast (=stay close to the coast) The path follows the coast.
   ▪ hug the coast (=follow it very closely) A small railway hugs the coast.
■ phrases
   ▪ a stretch of coast (=a long area of coast) The 13th century chapel lies on a spectacular stretch of coast.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ coast noun [countable] the part of a country that is close to the sea: The hurricane struck Florida’s coast. | St Andrew’s is on the east coast of Scotland.
   ▪ shore noun [uncountable and countable] the land along the edge of the sea or along the edge of a lake: The children managed to swim to shore but their father was swept out to sea. | Vevey is a pretty town on the shores of Lake Geneva.
   ▪ the seashore the land along the edge of the sea, especially where there is sand and rocks: Waves were crashing onto the seashore.
   ▪ coastline noun [countable] the edge of the land next to the sea. Used especially about a long length of land or the shape it makes, for example as seen from the air: The road follows the rugged coastline of northern France for nearly 100 miles. | Environmentalists are concerned about possible damage to some of the most beautiful stretches of Welsh coastline.
   ▪ seaboard noun [countable] the part of a country that is close to the sea. Used mainly about very large countries such as the US or Australia: western/eastern etc seaboard: Australia’s eastern seaboard | Atlantic/Pacific etc seaboard: the Atlantic seaboard of the US
   ▪ the seaside British English a place at the edge of the sea where people go for a holiday: The children love going to the seaside.
   ▪ by the sea British English, by the ocean American English on land next to the sea: We bought a small cottage by the sea. | He always walks by the ocean in the early morning.

II

coast² verb [intransitive]
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