accosted

past tense of accost
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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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of accosted During a preliminary hearing in 2021, Los Angeles Police Department detectives testified that Jester and three others broke into Jackson’s Hollywood Hills rental and accosted the rapper in a shower. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Two of the men were accosted at a local restaurant, and they’ve also been refused service in town, Cox said. Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 Sometimes that was impossible, such as when he was accosted in a car park by Jose Mourinho and at the airport by Roma fans after the 2023 Europa League final, but not for lack of trying. Graham Scott, New York Times, 23 July 2026 In that incident, the victim was accosted by two men who demanded valuables. Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 31 May 2026 In previous years, the 31-year-old originally from Chicago might have lashed back when accosted on the ice. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 9 May 2026 At one point during the dizzying saga, the actor is accosted by two fans at a grocery store who drastically overshare about how much his work means to them. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026 When this writer foolishly forgot her iPods inside the Palais, the 15-minute walk to fetch them — during which I was almost toppled over by wind and accosted by sleet — was enough to make her hole up in her hotel room for the rest of the day. Marta Balaga, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026 Taylor was attempting to join her castmates onstage after the 2025 movie won Best Picture, one of six awards bestowed on the dark comedy-action film, when the guard allegedly accosted her and Abdy, reported TMZ. Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accosted
Verb
  • Cue forward Josh Windass revealing on camera how James, as one of those who had worn the armband during the season, had approached him about setting up a meeting with just the players present.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Even in the nineteenth century, before the neuronic machinery of the retina was fully understood, biologists approached the eye with wonderment.
    E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • When confronted with this brazen conflict of standards during last week’s special session, members of the General Assembly simply dismissed the contradiction, insisting that the law does not apply to them.
    Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Mob Piru Blood Travon Lane was at Foot Locker when a South Side Crip confronted him and took his Death Row Records necklace.
    Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Accosted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accosted. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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