accost

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verb ac·cost \ ə-ˈkȯst , -ˈkäst \

Definition of accost

transitive verb

:to approach and speak to (someone) often in a challenging or aggressive way

He was accosted by a stranger on the street.

See accost defined for English-language learners

See accost defined for kids

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 of accost from the Web

In 1967, he and a friend accosted Albert Hoffman, 73, at a Detroit bus stop, dragged him into an alley, then beat and robbed him.

— Washington Post, "After life without parole: 2 held for decades savor freedom," 1 Aug. 2017
Sometime around 2:45 p.m., March 24, 1949, Rimann was leaving a meeting with a shuffleboard salesman on Chestnut Avenue just north of Fourteenth Street in Kansas City when he was accosted by two men who had been waiting for him in the black Ford.

— shane sanderson, kansascity, "Wolf Rimann, politically connected country club owner, shot dead in broad daylight," 16 July 2017
Over the weekend, an audio file of Jack Gilinsky verbally accosting his then-girlfriend Madison Beer leaked online.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "[UPDATED] Social Media Stars Madison Beer and Jack Gilinsky Open Up About Leaked Verbal Abuse," 6 July 2017
Police say the car, which had been stolen in west Charlotte, had been driven by a man who accosted two female joggers in separate incidents Tuesday.

— jim morrill, anna douglas and fred clasen-kelly, charlotteobserver, "UPDATE: Manhunt continues into afternoon as suspect’s burned Mercedes recovered," 4 July 2017
Lately, I have been accosted by an assertive and nervous killdeer.

— anna thomas bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Take a cue from nature and 'hide' veggies in plain sight," 28 June 2017
How would Marlene Pinnock prove that she was violently accosted for no reason?

— lincoln blades, Teen Vogue, "Outrage Over Police Brutality Shouldn't Require a Dead, Unarmed Body," 28 June 2017
At Liu Xia's apartment building in Beijing, AP journalists were accosted Monday by half a dozen plainclothes and other security officers and physically blocked from going beyond the first floor.

— Bloomberg.com, "China's Jailed Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo Granted Medical Parole," 26 June 2017
At Liu Xia’s apartment building in Beijing, AP journalists were accosted Monday by half a dozen plainclothes and other security officers and physically blocked from going beyond the first floor.

— didi tang, The Seattle Times, "China’s jailed Nobel Peace laureate given medical parole," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accost.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of accost

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 ¹coast

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.

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First Known Use: 1567

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ACCOST Defined for English Language Learners

accost

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verb

Definition of accost for English Language Learners

: to approach and speak to (someone) often in an angry, aggressive, or unwanted way

ACCOST Defined for Kids

accost

play

verb ac·cost \ ə-ˈkȯst \

Definition of accost for Students

accosted; accosting

:to approach and speak to angrily or aggressively

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Spanish Central: Translation of accost Nglish: Translation of accost for Spanish speakers

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accost

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