Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - coast

~1 n 1 the area where the land meets the sea  (We drove along the Pacific coast to Seattle. | on the coast (=on the land near the sea))  (I used to live in a small village on the coast of Brittany. | off the coast (=in the sea near the land))  (a small island off the coast of Scotland | coast to coast (=from one coast of a country to the other coast of the same country))  (They walked coast to coast across England.)  (- see shore) 2 the coast is clear informal if the coast is clear, it is safe for you to do something without risking being seen or caught  (We raced towards them as soon as the coast was clear.) ~2 v 1 always + adv/prep to move in or on a vehicle, especially down a hill, without using any effort or any power from the engine + down/around/along etc  (Bev coasted downhill on her bicycle.) 2 to achieve something without having to try very hard  (Janey's teacher says she's just coasting and could do even better if pushed.) + to/through  (Polls predict that the party will coast to victory in the next election.) 3 AmE to slide down a hill covered in snow on a sledge1  (The kids went coasting all afternoon.) 4 to sail along the coast while staying close to land