Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. One that coasts, as:
- n. One who acts in an aimless manner.
- n. A sled or toboggan.
- n. One who rides a sled or toboggan.
- n. Nautical A vessel engaged in coastal trade: "dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smokestack” ( John Masefield).
- n. A roller coaster.
- n. A small mat or plate placed under a vessel to protect a tabletop or other surface beneath.
- n. A small tray, often on wheels, for passing something, such as a wine decanter, around a table.
- n. A resident of a coastal region.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. One who or that which coasts. Specifically— A person engaged in sailing along a coast, or in trading from port to port in the same country.
- n. A vessel used in this service; a coasting-vessel.
- n. One engaged in the sport of coasting or sledding.
- n. A teamster who draws supplies to lumberers' shanties.
- n. A low round tray, usually of silver, and formerly on wheels, in which a decanter “coasts” or makes the circuit of a dining-table, for the greater convenience of the company.
- n. An inhabitant of or a dweller near the sea-coast.
- n. A loafer. See coast, v. i., 9.
- n. A name applied to cattle bred on or near the coast.
Wiktionary
- n. Something that coasts, such as a sled or toboggan.
- n. A merchant vessel that stays in coastal waters.
- n. A small piece of material used to protect the surface of a table, upon which one places cups or mugs.
- n. A small tray on wheels, used to pass something around a table.
- n. A worthless compact disc or DVD, such as one that was burned incorrectly.
- n. A rollercoaster.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A vessel employed in sailing along a coast, or engaged in the coasting trade.
- n. One who sails near the shore.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a resident of a coastal area
- n. someone who coasts
- n. a covering (plate or mat) that protects the surface of a table (i.e., from the condensation on a cold glass or bottle)
Examples
“On the other coaster is a 3/4 empty can of Diet Mt. Dew.”
“Many freighters have what they call a coaster hitched to the last wagon.”
“5 Raincoaster - rain coaster is based in Vancouver and in this bog has little to say about politics.”
“That old chestnut comparing publication to a roller coaster is absolutely true.”
Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » Interview: Amy MacKinnon, part 2
“So it's been an intense cycle so far and a lot of ups and downs, and I don't think the roller coaster is ready to level out any time soon.”
The Wall Street Journal: Parties Scramble to Adapt to Shifting Political Scene
“The roller-coaster is pretty much the cheapest fast ride this mommy gets and the shorter-than-5-feet-tall rides never cease to enchant my sons.”
Sunday Op/Ed: Don’t Put the Chihuly Museum at Seattle Center « PubliCola
“Now Nolan needs to keep the rest of face under wraps, but I suspect there will be a poster with it in full glory. mICHAEL jOHNSON on May 4, 2008 good catch joel …. .and the dark knight coaster is gonna be trash … if your near the one in jackson, NJ it is just a rehash of skull mountain … lol”
Must Watch: Second Full Trailer for The Dark Knight! « FirstShowing.net
“The beer coaster is a great souvenir for Ryan and me, we have a small collection of them from vacations and fun date nights.”
“Thieves in Bischofsheim, Germany, stole a 20-tonne roller coaster from a car park, where it was in a truck that was taking it to a nearby amusement park.”
“This one of a kind roller coaster is located at Toverland, Netherlands.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘coaster’.
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Topical
The buzzwords of our time
actionable, administrivia, advermation, agreeance, backbone provider, back-sourcing, baked in, bandwidth, barn raising, Barneyware, belly-buttons, Below Zeros and 734 more...
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Steroids
Nouns that end in "ster". The -er suffix (as in blaster) doesn't count.
hamster, filibuster, aster, master, mister, baluster, banister, barrister, monster, plaster, semester, bister and 56 more...

qroqqa The small protective object under a mug or the like gets its name via an earlier meaning (unknown to me but perhaps not obsolete everywhere): a tray for decanters, so that they can 'coast' or go round the table. Aug 26, 2010
mollusque Almost all the coasters came in sight of Deephaven, and the sea outside the light was their grand highway. Twice from the lighthouse we saw a yacht squadron like a flock of great white birds.
--Sarah Orne Jewett, 1877, Deephaven Nov 21, 2009
reesetee Also known as a coastal trading vessel. A ship used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Its shallow hull allows it to maneuver reefs where seagoing ships usually cannot. Oct 29, 2007