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.
Ahmad Sami Hassanzadeh, 44, was in a park, playing chess in the western city of Herat with friends when they were accosted by members of the Taliban vice squad. Diaa Hadid, NPR, 17 June 2025 One suspect has been arrested and charged with a felony, Glenview police said, in connection with a crime in which three men with firearms accosted a couple who were returning to their Glenview home at about 11 p.m. on April 21. Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025 So when she’s accosted, what do people want to scream about? Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025 One day, while the band was on tour and riots were unfolding across the nation, the band was accosted by guardsmen while stopping for gas in a Michigan town under curfew. Andrew R. Chow, Time, 10 June 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 30 Jun. 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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