Coast , v. t. 1. To
draw near to; to approach; to keep near, or
by the side
of. [Obs.]
Hakluyt.
2. To sail by or near; to follow the coast line of.
Nearchus, . . . not knowing the compass, was fain to
coast that shore.
Sir T. Browne.
3.
To conduct along a coast
or river bank. [Obs.]
The Indians . . . coasted me
along the river.
Hakluyt.
Coast (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Coasted;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Coasting.]
[OE. costien,
costeien, costen, OF. costier,
costoier, F. côtoyer, fr. Of.
coste coast, F. côte. See Coast, n.]
1. To draw
or keep near; to approach. [Obs.]
Anon she hears them chant it
lustily,
And all in haste
she coasteth to the cry.
Shak.
2. To sail by or near the shore.
The ancients coasted only in their navigation.
Arbuthnot.
3. To sail from port to port
in the same
country.
4. [Cf. OF. coste, F. côte, hill, hillside.] To slide down hill; to slide on a sled, upon snow or ice. [Local, U. S.]
Coast (?), n. [OF. coste, F. côte, rib, hill, shore, coast, L. costa rib, side. Cf. Accost,
v. t., Cutlet.]
1. The side of a thing. [Obs.] Sir I. Newton.
2. The exterior line, limit, or border of a country; frontier border. [Obs.]
From the river, the river Euphrates, even to the uttermost sea, shall your coast be.
Deut. xi.
24.
3. The seashore, or land near
it.
He
sees in English ships the Holland coast.
Dryden.
We the Arabian coast do know
At
distance, when the species blow.
Waller.
The coast is
clear, the danger is over; no enemy in sight. Dryden. Fig.:
There are no obstacles. "Seeing that the coast was clear, Zelmane dismissed Musidorus." Sir P. Sidney. -- Coast guard. (a) A body of men originally employed along
the coast to prevent smuggling; now, under the control of the admiralty, drilled as a naval reserve. [Eng.] (b) The force employed in life-saving stations along the seacoast. [U. S.] -- Coast rat (Zoöl.), a South African mammal (Bathyergus
suillus), about the size of a rabbit, remarkable for its extensive burrows; -- called also sand mole. -- Coast waiter, a customhouse officer who superintends the landing or shipping of goods for the
coast trade. [Eng.]
Hear it pronounced