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
The body cam footage, however, jerks with panicked motions of the officers who accosted Augustus on the sidewalk, and their breathless attempts after the shooting to put their actions in the most favorable light.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
Probably her most famous photo, an only-in-New-York moment, depicts a heavily garbed Hasidic Jew who has somehow wandered onto a nudist beach at Jacob Riis Park, in Queens, only to be accosted by a stark-naked posing bodybuilder.
—Arthur Lubow, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Three snaps into his outing, when an Eagles safety banged him a moment after an incompletion, Kelce whirled in anger and accosted him.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025
Haynes’ relatives reportedly told police that the woman had accosted Haynes at his workplace, Highland Hospital.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accost
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
Probably her most famous photo, an only-in-New-York moment, depicts a heavily garbed Hasidic Jew who has somehow wandered onto a nudist beach at Jacob Riis Park, in Queens, only to be accosted by a stark-naked posing bodybuilder.
—Arthur Lubow, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Three snaps into his outing, when an Eagles safety banged him a moment after an incompletion, Kelce whirled in anger and accosted him.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025
Haynes’ relatives reportedly told police that the woman had accosted Haynes at his workplace, Highland Hospital.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accost
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accost
Verb
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An officer confronted the suspect, who did not comply with orders to drop the gun, police said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2025
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The difference lies in how the screenplay probes the existential struggles warring inside its characters and confronts their pasts.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Her first recommendation when approached with the opportunity was the Lancôme Cils Booster XL.—
Celeste Polanco,
Essence,
1 May 2025
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As the sky darkened and duck calls filled the sky, their number appeared as a shadowed cloud approaching the rice fields.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
1 May 2025
Verb
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This underperformance is partly attributable to the issues encountered by its HPV vaccine, Gardasil, in China due to lower demand.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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On the contrary, all the inputs people encounter, by choice or by circumstance—the news reports, the novels, the films, the celebrities, the radio shows, the billboards, the histories, the satires, the amusements, the truths, the lies—tend to end up in the same place.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Accost.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accost. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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