What does "coaster" mean?
A person who originates from or inhabits a coastal area.
Coaster
/ˈkəʊ̯s.tə/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who originates from or inhabits a coastal area.
- Grammar: coaster is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: amusement ride, coastal ship, coastwise vessel, cup coaster.
- Useful contrasts: bare surface, deep sea vessel, flat ride.
- Usage evidence: I can't keep this up. It's an emotional roller coaster around here and all we have to do is look at the boss's face to know whether everybody is going to be happy or sad.
How to use "coaster"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "coaster" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "coaster" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "coaster" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "coaster" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "coaster" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "amusement ride" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "coaster", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who originates from or inhabits a coastal area.
"People said, "Eldridge. Of course, he's an old Coaster," and Eldridge, the middle-aged shipping agent, at the beginning of every meal would say, "Chop, as we call it on the Coast," or handing a plate of onions, "Violets, we say on the Coast.""
- 2 Agent noun of coast: one who coasts.; An itinerant person who shirks work but still seeks food and lodging; a loafer, a sundowner. Australia, slang
- 3 a covering (plate or mat) that protects the surface of a table (i.e., from the condensation on a cold glass or bottle) wordnet
- 4 A sailor (especially the master or pilot of a vessel) who travels only in coastal waters.
"Thus, with ſhort Plummets Heav'ns deep will we ſound, / That vaſt Abyſs where humane Wit is drown'd! / In our ſmall Skiff we muſt not launce too far; / We here but Coaſters, not Diſcov'rers are."
- 5 Agent noun of coast: one who coasts.; A person who uses a sled or toboggan to slide down a slope covered with ice or snow; a sledder, a tobogganist. US
"It was cold but still, and Polly trotted down the smooth, snow-covered mall, humming to herself, and trying not to feel homesick. The coasters were at it with all their might, and she watched them, till her longing to join the fun grew irresistible."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 someone who coasts wordnet
- 7 A merchant vessel that stays in coastal waters, especially one that travels between ports of the same country.
"His father was skipper of a small coaster, from Bristol, and dying, left him, when quite young, to the care of his mother, by whose exertions he received a common-school education, passing his winters in school and his summers in the coasting trade, until his seventeenth year, when he left home to go upon foreign voyages."
- 8 Agent noun of coast: one who coasts.; One who succeeds while making only a minimal effort.
"In Prashar's opinion, there are two types of manager: "coasters, who coast along in a job, and sprinters, who have a challenge, deal with it and then move on.""
- 9 a resident of a coastal area wordnet
- 10 Ellipsis of coaster trout (“the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Lake Superior and Maine”). Canada, US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 11 Something that coasts or is used to coast.; A small stand or tray, sometimes with wheels, used to pass something such as a decanter or wine bottle around a tabletop. dated
- 12 A cow from the coastal part of Texas. US
"The ranch's rangy coasters, the only saleable cattle they then held, could not compete with cattle from a growing number of Midwest farmer-feeders or with competitors stocking the northern ranges."
- 13 Something that coasts or is used to coast.; A small, flat or tray-like object on which a bottle, cup, glass, mug, etc., is placed to protect a table surface from drink spills, heat, or water condensation. broadly
- 14 A prostitute, especially one of European descent, plying her trade in Chinese port towns. dated, slang
"I think you can say this much, that from these traces of callus I'd venture she was once a ballet dancer—and later got her living otherwise—as a coaster perhaps."
- 15 Something that coasts or is used to coast.; A useless compact disc or DVD, such as one that was burned incorrectly or has become corrupted. broadly, slang
- 16 Something that coasts or is used to coast.; Ellipsis of rollercoaster. US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal
- 17 Something that coasts or is used to coast.; A sled or toboggan. US
- 18 Something that coasts or is used to coast.; A minibus; small bus (especially Toyota Coaster or in general resembling such regardless of brand name) Philippines
"coaster bus"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I can't keep this up. It's an emotional roller coaster around here and all we have to do is look at the boss's face to know whether everybody is going to be happy or sad."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "coaster"?
Common synonyms include: amusement ride, coastal ship, coastwise vessel, cup coaster, dish, drink coaster.
How do you use "coaster" in a sentence?
I can't keep this up. It's an emotional roller coaster around here and all we have to do is look at the boss's face to know whether everybody is going to be happy or sad.
How do you pronounce "coaster"?
Pronounced /ˈkəʊ̯s.tə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From coast (“edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns). Coast is derived from Middle English coste (“rib; side of the body, flank; side of a building; face of a solid figure; coast, shore; bay, gulf; sea; concavity, hollow; boundary, limit; land; country; district, province, region; locality, place; division of the heavens; compass direction; direction; location with reference to direction, side”) [and other forms], from Old French coste (“rib; side of an object; coast”) (modern French côte (“rib; coast; hill, slope”)), from Latin costa (“rib; side, wall”).
Etymology 2
From coast (“to glide along without adding energy; to make a minimal effort; to slide downhill (especially, to slide on a sled upon snow or ice)”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns). Coast is derived from Middle English costeien (“to travel along a border or coast; to go alongside (something), skirt; to accompany, follow; to travel across, traverse; to be adjacent to, to border;”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman [Term?], Old French costoier (“to be at the side of”) [and other forms] (modern French côtoyer (“to pass alongside; (figuratively) to rub shoulders”)), from Latin costicāre, from costa (“rib; side, wall”); see further at etymology 1. etymology 2 sense 2.1 (“small stand or tray”) is from the fact that the object and the decanter or wine bottle on it “coast” or travel around a tabletop from person to person. etymology 2 sense 2.2.2 (“useless compact disc or DVD”) refers to the fact that the object is only useful as a drink coaster. etymology 2 sense 2.5 (“minibus”) is a genericized trademark from Toyota Coaster. Compare Spanish coaster / cúster.