v. t. 1. To draw near to; to approach; to keep near, or by the side of. [ Obs. ] Hakluyt. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To sail by or near; to follow the coast line of. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nearchus, . . . not knowing the compass, was fain to coast that shore. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To conduct along a coast or river bank. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The Indians . . . coasted me along the river. Hakluyt. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The exterior line, limit, or border of a country; frontier border. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

From the river, the river Euphrates, even to the uttermost sea, shall your coast be. Deut. xi. 24. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The seashore, or land near it. [ 1913 Webster ]

He sees in English ships the Holland coast. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

We the Arabian coast do know
At distance, when the species blow. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 (Zool.), 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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Anon she hears them chant it lustily,
And all in haste she coasteth to the cry. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To sail by or near the shore. [ 1913 Webster ]

The ancients coasted only in their navigation. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To sail from port to port in the same country. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. [ Cf. OF. coste, F. côte, hill, hillside. ] To slide down hill; to slide on a sled, upon snow or ice. [ Local, U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to a coast. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A bureau of the United States government charged with the topographic and hydrographic survey of the coast and the execution of belts of primary triangulation and lines of precise leveling in the interior. It now belongs to the Department of Commerce and Labor. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. A vessel employed in sailing along a coast, or engaged in the coasting trade. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who sails near the shore. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Sailing along or near a coast, or running between ports along a coast. [ 1913 Webster ]

Coasting trade, trade carried on by water between neighboring ports of the same country, as distinguished from foreign trade or trade involving long voyages. --
Coasting vessel, a vessel employed in coasting; a coaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A sailing along a coast, or from port to port; a carrying on a coasting trade. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Sliding down hill; sliding on a sled upon snow or ice. [ Local, U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } adv. By way of, or along, the coast; following a coastline; as, coastwise winds contributed to the storm. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]