accost

verb

ac·​cost ə-ˈkȯst How to pronounce accost (audio)
-ˈkäst
accosted; accosting; accosts

transitive verb

: to approach and speak to (someone) in an often challenging or aggressive way
He was accosted by a stranger on the street.

Examples of accost in a Sentence

He was accosted by three gang members on the subway. She was so famous that people would accost her on the street and ask for an autograph.
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.
As a result, Manuel said, Phelan's wife was accosted in her home. John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025 A lot of it based around a Black family who is privileged and wealthy, but at the end of the day, they can still be accosted on the side of the road by racists. Lynette Rice, Deadline, 29 July 2025 Meanwhile, his members are being accosted in the street. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 13 July 2025 Six hours before the armed carjacking in San Francisco, Guevara-Espinoza and his accomplice accosted another individual for his vehicle in Berkeley, prosecutors said. Jason Green, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for accost

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French accoster, going back to Old French, "to go alongside of, sail along the coast of, place (a vessel) beside another" (sʼacoster a "to take a place beside, draw near, support"), probably going back to Vulgar Latin *accostāre, from Latin ad- ad- + costa "rib, side" — more at coast entry 1

Note: A common, polysemous verb in Anglo-French, though the English verb, which only begins to appear in the late 16th century, is apparently borrowed directly from Continental French. The sense "to approach and speak to" only appears in French in the early 17th century, about the same time that it appears in English.

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of accost was in 1567

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accost. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

accost

verb
ac·​cost ə-ˈkȯst How to pronounce accost (audio)
-ˈkäst
: to approach and speak to often in a challenging or aggressive way

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