coasts
coasts — noun
- coastssingular
- coastsesplural
1. the area of land that is next to or touches the sea or ocean; the edge of a coun
the area of land that is next to or touches the sea or ocean; the edge of a country or continent where it meets the water.
The small fishing village lies on the west coast of Ireland.
on the coast — indicates location by the sea
Paloma drove along the coast, stopping at every beach to take photos.
along the coast — following the shoreline
Many rare birds nest on the rocky coasts of Scotland.
The storm damaged several homes near the coast, but no one was hurt.
文法句型
the coast of + place
on the coast
along the coast
用法筆記
Frequently used with the definite article: 'the coast'. Also common in place names (the Gold Coast, the Ivory Coast).
常見錯誤
2. stretching from one seacoast of a country to the opposite seacoast; describing a
stretching from one seacoast of a country to the opposite seacoast; describing a physical journey, route, or span that literally crosses from one shoreline to the far opposite shoreline.
The family took a coast-to-coast road trip from New York to Los Angeles.
coast-to-coast road trip — a journey across the whole US
Aarav's music tour covered coast-to-coast performances in thirty different cities.
The freight train carried goods from coast to coast, passing through eight different states.
Beatriz cycled coast to coast across the United States to raise money for charity.
- transcontinental
more formal; strictly describes crossing a continent.
- cross-country
broader — can mean across a country without necessarily touching both coasts.
文法句型
coast-to-coast + N
from coast to coast
用法筆記
Commonly used in American English to describe national reach. The hyphenated form 'coast-to-coast' functions as an adjective before a noun; 'from coast to coast' works as an adverbial phrase.
常見錯誤
3. present or available across all parts of a country without referring to a physic
present or available across all parts of a country without referring to a physical crossing between the coasts; used figuratively for widespread national distribution, media attention, or commercial presence.
The restaurant chain now has coast-to-coast locations in all fifty states.
Feng's new app attracted coast-to-coast coverage from local news stations.
coast-to-coast coverage — media attention across the whole country
The company launched a coast-to-coast advertising campaign before the holiday season.
Demand for the product grew coast to coast as reviews spread online.
- nationwide
the direct synonym; neutral register, very common.
- national
adjective form; used before a noun.
文法句型
coast-to-coast + N (nationwide sense)
用法筆記
Common in business and media contexts describing widespread distribution, availability, or presence throughout a country.
4. in basketball, moving or passing the ball from one end of the court to the other
in basketball, moving or passing the ball from one end of the court to the other in a single fast play, usually by one player.
Darius grabbed the rebound and went coast-to-coast for an easy layup.
went coast-to-coast — ran the full length of the court with the ball
The point guard made a coast-to-coast drive past three defenders.
Coast-to-coast plays are exciting because they turn defence into offence within seconds.
With ten seconds left on the clock, Ryan started a coast-to-coast sprint toward the basket.
- full-court
describes a play that uses the entire court; can refer to defence or offence.
- end-to-end
less technical; describes fast movement between the two baskets.
文法句型
go coast-to-coast
coast-to-coast play
用法筆記
Only used in basketball contexts. 'Go coast-to-coast' means a single player gets the ball near their own basket and dribbles all the way to the opposing basket to score.
常見錯誤
coasts — verb
- coastspresent simple I / you / we / they
- coastses3rd person singular
- coastsing-ing form
- coastsedpast simple
1. to continue travelling on wheels after switching the engine off, especially whil
to continue travelling on wheels after switching the engine off, especially while going down a slope; to let a car, bicycle, or truck roll ahead using only its existing speed.
Tendai turned off the engine and let the car coast down the long hill.
coast down — move downhill without engine power
The truck coasted to a stop at the bottom of the steep road.
coast to a stop — slow down and stop without braking
Asher's bicycle coasted along the flat pavement until it finally slowed down.
The bus driver coasted in neutral for a short stretch to save fuel.
- accelerate
to increase speed using power.
- brake
to slow down using the brakes.
文法句型
coast + down + noun phrase
coast + along + noun phrase
用法筆記
Used for any wheeled vehicle — car, bicycle, truck, bus. The vehicle must already be in motion; 'coast' describes continuing that motion without the engine driving the wheels.
常見錯誤
2. to travel down a sloping surface using only the pull of gravity, with no effort
to travel down a sloping surface using only the pull of gravity, with no effort from the person — for example on a sled, skis, or a skateboard.
The children coasted down the snowy hill on their sleds, laughing loudly.
coast down — slide down a slope by gravity
Marta coasted on her skateboard all the way from the top of the park.
A skier coasted past the trees and came to a smooth stop near the lodge.
Paloma and Iris coasted down the gentle slope on wooden sleds they built themselves.
文法句型
coast + down + noun phrase
用法筆記
Unlike Sense 1, this sense does not involve a vehicle engine at all. The movement comes entirely from gravity on a sloping surface. Common in winter sports and playground contexts.
3. to achieve something or get through a situation without putting in much effort o
to achieve something or get through a situation without putting in much effort or facing serious difficulty.
Justin studied hard for the first exam but coasted through the rest of the semester.
coast through — get through without much effort
The top team coasted to victory, winning every match by at least three goals.
Instead of growing, Naoko coasted along doing the same easy tasks every day.
Sirin coasted into the final round of the competition without losing a single point.
- sail through
more vivid; emphasises how smoothly and quickly something is completed.
- breeze through
informal; suggests something is very easy and fast.
文法句型
coast through + noun phrase
coast to + noun phrase
coast along
用法筆記
Often carries a mildly negative connotation — it suggests someone is not using their full ability or is relying on past success rather than current effort. Can also be neutral in sports contexts ('coast to victory').
常見錯誤
❌ 'He coasted through the difficult exams but failed the easy one.' — illogical; use 'coast through' only when something IS easy for the person.