as in approached
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 accosted
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
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
The majority being accosted and disappeared are Black, Muslim, Latinx, and Asian.
—Bao Phi, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Investigators determined that four teenage boys were waiting for a bus at the Transit Mall when they were accosted by two young adult men wearing ski masks and dark clothing.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Last season, after Georgetown lost to the Xavier Musketeers, Cooley engaged in a heated argument with an Xavier fan who allegedly accosted one of his players after the final buzzer.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 21 Dec. 2025
Houston Keene, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
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
The majority being accosted and disappeared are Black, Muslim, Latinx, and Asian.
—Bao Phi, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Investigators determined that four teenage boys were waiting for a bus at the Transit Mall when they were accosted by two young adult men wearing ski masks and dark clothing.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Last season, after Georgetown lost to the Xavier Musketeers, Cooley engaged in a heated argument with an Xavier fan who allegedly accosted one of his players after the final buzzer.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accosted
Verb
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In 2024, broadcaster Sinclair approached Blackburn about helping figure out what to do with the network.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Amin Shouman, a resident of Abu Falah who witnessed the attack, told the Associated Press that dozens of Israeli settlers approached the village from the north and opened fire when they were confronted by a guard committee along the border of the village.—
Imad Isseid,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement The stakes were incredibly high as both parties confronted questions about identity, Trumpism, Texas’ soul, and, yes, electability.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
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The prosecutor alleged that Abril confronted the couple, at which point James MacEgan was shot and killed, before Abril grabbed MacEgan’s wife and pulled her into the creek.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accosted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accosted. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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