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
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
For instance, the Alfie who was very serious about Mindy one night before would not suddenly bail because her ex — whom Mindy blocked everywhere — rudely accosted her at her job.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
Senators are accosted daily by a robust Capitol Hill press corps (which once included me and occasionally still does).
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 2 Dec. 2025
The quick-thinking Secretary of War immediately starts live-streaming the event before being accosted by Director of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who ends up shooting a dog in a scenario seemingly plucked from Noem’s memoir, which caused a stir during the 2024 election.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Though confused by their new reality in the spirit world, the teenagers willingly decide to carry on as they are accosted by a series of demons such as doctors disfiguring patients, human traffickers, and being plagued by war and terrorism.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Nov. 2025
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
For instance, the Alfie who was very serious about Mindy one night before would not suddenly bail because her ex — whom Mindy blocked everywhere — rudely accosted her at her job.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
Senators are accosted daily by a robust Capitol Hill press corps (which once included me and occasionally still does).
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 2 Dec. 2025
The quick-thinking Secretary of War immediately starts live-streaming the event before being accosted by Director of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who ends up shooting a dog in a scenario seemingly plucked from Noem’s memoir, which caused a stir during the 2024 election.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Though confused by their new reality in the spirit world, the teenagers willingly decide to carry on as they are accosted by a series of demons such as doctors disfiguring patients, human traffickers, and being plagued by war and terrorism.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accosted
Verb
-
In this study, researchers approached the problem differently.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
-
When a pompous male customer refused to be waited on by a female server, Bass quietly approached the table.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Porter’s family said the father of two was firing gunshots in the air to celebrate the New Year when he was confronted and shot to death by an off-duty ICE agent.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Members have discussed the tactic of writing down immigrants’ addresses on paper, not their phones, and eating the paper if confronted by law enforcement.—
Christina Buttons,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Accosted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accosted. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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