accosted; accosting; accosts
: to approach and speak to (someone) in an often challenging or aggressive way
He was accosted by a stranger on the street.
Examples of accost in a Sentence
He was accosted by three gang members on the subway.
She was so famous that people would accost her on the street and ask for an autograph.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Wagner, a sitting member of German parliament, was hanging campaign posters for a liberal colleague when he was accosted on the streets of Eisenberg.
—
Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024
Witnesses who spoke with The Times accused the guards of assaulting and accosting demonstrators who posed no threat and leaving the scene at a key moment on May 1, as counterprotesters escalated violence that left at least 30 people injured.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
As seen on a video published on the organization’s YouTube channel, the unknown man pulled down one of the banners while accosting the volunteers, yelling and shaking his finger in their faces.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
Emerging from the signing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, delegate and statesman Dr. Benjamin Franklin was accosted by intellectual socialite Elizabeth Willing.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 5 May 2024
His jokes were followed by a slide show of Philbin accosting famous artists like David Hockney and Ellsworth Kelly in the Hammer men’s room.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
After climbing mountains and crisscrossing rivers in their quest to reach the United States, their group was accosted by a half-dozen men in ski masks, holding long guns and issuing threats.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
In that incident, the victim was accosted by two men who demanded valuables.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
Sue Ann Asch, from Kalkaska, Mich., has been charged with accosting children for immoral purposes, online court records show.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024
Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024
Witnesses who spoke with The Times accused the guards of assaulting and accosting demonstrators who posed no threat and leaving the scene at a key moment on May 1, as counterprotesters escalated violence that left at least 30 people injured.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
As seen on a video published on the organization’s YouTube channel, the unknown man pulled down one of the banners while accosting the volunteers, yelling and shaking his finger in their faces.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
Emerging from the signing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, delegate and statesman Dr. Benjamin Franklin was accosted by intellectual socialite Elizabeth Willing.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 5 May 2024
His jokes were followed by a slide show of Philbin accosting famous artists like David Hockney and Ellsworth Kelly in the Hammer men’s room.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
After climbing mountains and crisscrossing rivers in their quest to reach the United States, their group was accosted by a half-dozen men in ski masks, holding long guns and issuing threats.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
In that incident, the victim was accosted by two men who demanded valuables.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
Sue Ann Asch, from Kalkaska, Mich., has been charged with accosting children for immoral purposes, online court records show.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accost.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near accost
Cite this Entry
“Accost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accost. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accost
verb
ac·cost
ə-ˈkȯst 
-ˈkäst
: to approach and speak to often in a challenging or aggressive way
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