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
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
All of the laws attacking transgender people actually negatively affect all women… people getting accosted in bathrooms are cis women often.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
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
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
All of the laws attacking transgender people actually negatively affect all women… people getting accosted in bathrooms are cis women often.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accosted
Verb
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That's when police said a masked gunman approached the group and opened fire.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Last year, bankers for Vox Media approached media companies and investors with a series of offers.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Investigators said Harrison, who was seated in the front passenger seat, exited the vehicle and confronted Dundas, who was sitting in the back seat.—
CBS Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In the 1979 gas shortage, an attendant at a busy San Bernardino gas station was confronted by an armed man demanding money.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accosted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accosted. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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