as in to confront
to approach and speak to (someone) often in an angry, aggressive, or unwanted way
He was accosted by peddlers selling touristy trinkets on the street. She was so famous that people would accost her on the street and ask for an autograph.
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Recent Examples of accost
As for the landscapes, prepare to be accosted by beauty.
—
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 June 2025
The driver then turned the van around and continued accosting him — that's where the video begins.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 27 Feb. 2025
Among the federal authorities allegedly accosted have been Border Patrol agents.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Part 2: fifteen years later, while fleeing Petrograd, Nabokov’s father is accosted on a bridge by a gray-bearded peasant, who asks for a light and proves to be Kuropatkin in disguise.
—Elif Batuman, New Yorker, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for accost
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 June 2025
The driver then turned the van around and continued accosting him — that's where the video begins.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 27 Feb. 2025
Among the federal authorities allegedly accosted have been Border Patrol agents.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Part 2: fifteen years later, while fleeing Petrograd, Nabokov’s father is accosted on a bridge by a gray-bearded peasant, who asks for a light and proves to be Kuropatkin in disguise.
—Elif Batuman, New Yorker, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for accost
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accost
Verb
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The suspect allegedly confronted a female employee before attacking Assad and Mohammad with a box cutter, the outlet said.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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But last month, top economist Brad DeLong argued in a recent essay that the challenges confronting young job-seekers today are primarily driven by widespread policy uncertainty and a sluggish economy—not by the rapid rise of AI tools.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Surveillance video appears to show a man in a white shirt — later identified by cops as Mora Nunez — get off the moped and approach them from behind, gun in hand.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
25 July 2025
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Asset liquidation, when approached strategically and executed through the right third-party partners, not only generates immediate capital but also strengthens the company’s overall health and readiness for what’s next.—
Albert Golukhov,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
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But that night, after filming had ended, another neighbor encountered him outside his San Antonio home.—
Ethan Bauer,
Rolling Stone,
3 Aug. 2025
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Should this come to pass, Issa would encounter a political sea change in yet another district in his 25-year congressional career.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Accost.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accost. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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