Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

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

coast

1 noun
     
Related topics: Nature
coast1 S3 W3
1DN [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
2

the coast is clear

informal if the coast is clear, it is safe for you to do something without being seen or caught
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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