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
He is constantly accosted by guests who want to hug him and take pictures with him.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
Impacciatore, squeezed into a skin-tight Power Rangers suit, performed an entire clowning routine where she’s accosted by abstract embodiments of various winter sports throughout history.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 7 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
Several weeks later, when one of Crow’s staffers went to the facility, following a different but related set of protocols, two conservative members of the Aurora City Council accosted him.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accost
Brent Lang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
Impacciatore, squeezed into a skin-tight Power Rangers suit, performed an entire clowning routine where she’s accosted by abstract embodiments of various winter sports throughout history.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 7 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
Several weeks later, when one of Crow’s staffers went to the facility, following a different but related set of protocols, two conservative members of the Aurora City Council accosted him.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accost
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accost
Verb
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The sheriff said the child's father later confronted Duggar about the incidents on March 17 and the reality TV alum admitted to his actions to law enforcement in Tontitown and local police arrested Duggar soon after.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
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Every two years, California voters are confronted with a wall of ballot measures ranging from nitty-gritty legal tweaks to sweeping changes to the state Constitution.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the 15-year-old student approached an 18-year-old who was sitting in his car in the school's parking lot.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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The temperatures could approach or set new records each day this weekend before slightly cooler weather returns early next week.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Amidst the fairly strong law enforcement presence, Oscar ticket holders will also encounter police dogs on the red carpet.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
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Most likely, several ships over the centuries encountered the same treacherous conditions while attempting to dock, ultimately failing to navigate the passage, as per Libya Review.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accost.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accost. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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