Meaning & use
coastal city
Last updated
UK/ˈkəʊstəl ˈsɪti/
US/ˈkoʊstəl ˈsɪti/
Meaning
nouncountable
A large town located on or very near the sea.
Grammar: Countable: a coastal city, many coastal cities.
Patterns
- a coastal city in somewhere
- live in a coastal city
Lisbon is a lively coastal city with steep streets and old trams.
Many coastal cities are at risk from rising sea levels.
They moved to a coastal city so they could work near the harbor.
Word forms
| plural | coastal cities |
|---|
Common combinations
- busy coastal city
- Mumbai is a busy coastal city with a huge port.
- historic coastal city
- We spent a week exploring a historic coastal city in Croatia.
- low-lying coastal city
- A low-lying coastal city is vulnerable to flooding.
- major coastal city
- Sydney is a major coastal city in Australia.
Synonyms and how they differ
- seaside town
- Seaside town suggests a smaller, holiday-focused place, while coastal city implies a larger urban area.
- port city
- Port city stresses a working harbor, while coastal city only says it lies by the sea.
- waterfront city
- Waterfront city highlights an urban edge on water and may include rivers or lakes, not only the sea.
Opposites
inland city
Word family
Commonly confused: coastal city or coaster?
coastal city vs coaster
A coaster is a mat for a glass or a small ship; it does not mean coastal.
Practice
Because it is a ______ city, the town gets sea breezes and receives many cruise ships.
Choose one answer.
Coastal is the adjective meaning near the coast. Costal is a misspelling (and means relating to ribs), and coaster is a different noun.
Make it your own
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