coast guard

noun

1
: a military or naval force employed in guarding a coast or responsible for the safety, order, and operation of maritime traffic in neighboring waters
2
usually coastguard
ˈkōs(t)-ˌgärd How to pronounce coast guard (audio)
chiefly British : coastguardsman

Examples of coast guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Another of the crew, a South Korean, was discovered unconscious by coast guard rescuers before being sent to a hospital on the mainland and declared dead there, the coast guard said. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 Four Turkish Cypriot coast guard vessels and a civilian passenger boat were deployed to the scene, along with five Turkish coastguard vessels and two helicopters, the ministry statement said. — Reuters, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 China is ramping up pressure on Taiwan, with Beijing sending a record number of government vessels to waters around the island last month, according to figures provided by Taiwan’s coast guard. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 Firefighting and coast guard vessels evacuated some 500 beachgoers in the area. — Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for coast guard

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of coast guard was in 1833

Rhymes for coast guard

See All Rhymes for coast guard

Browse Nearby Words

coast gorilla
coast guard
coast guard cutter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coast guard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coast%20guard. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

coast guard

noun
1
: a seagoing force for protecting a coast and people and property at sea
2
usually coastguard chiefly British : coastguardsman

More from Merriam-Webster on coast guard

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coast guard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All