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
All of the laws attacking transgender people actually negatively affect all women… people getting accosted in bathrooms are cis women often.
—
Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
In one example, an on-duty Postal Service worker flipped off and verbally accosted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
—Houston Keene, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
Fallon quipped that White must not be able to leave the house for fear of actors accosting him asking to be on the show.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2026
The agent accosted and then fired on Routh, who fled in his car and was arrested a short time later.
—Greg Allen, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accost
Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
In one example, an on-duty Postal Service worker flipped off and verbally accosted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
—Houston Keene, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
Fallon quipped that White must not be able to leave the house for fear of actors accosting him asking to be on the show.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2026
The agent accosted and then fired on Routh, who fled in his car and was arrested a short time later.
—Greg Allen, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accost
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accost
Verb
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One took her own life when confronted with her deeds and the other one is gone for decades.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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Meis doesn’t confront works of art directly; at least that isn’t his forte.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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By Easter Sunday, another cold front will approach the region with a line of showers and storms developing ahead of it.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Do not approach water, wet objects, or metal items.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nearly half the species in this stretch of forest are nocturnal, offering a rare chance to encounter species like red-eyed tree frogs and bats in their natural environments.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
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Are your goals encountering a wild card?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accost.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accost. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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