accost
verb
ac·cost
| \ ə-ˈkȯst
, -ˈkäst\
, -ˈkäst\
accosted;
accosting;
accosts
Definition of accost
: 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
At the Seattle Public Library, a young woman accosts Bernadette, showering her with praise and gratitude for her influential work in architecture, and Bernadette skitters away awkwardly, barely saying a word in response. — Maya Phillips, The New Yorker, "“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” and the False Dream That Art Will Fulfill You," 22 Aug. 2019 Protesters that day clashed with police, blocked passengers from boarding planes, and accosted two suspected spies from mainland China, including a reporter for the Chinese state outlet Global Times. — Alice Su, Los Angeles Times, "Hong Kong protests: Hundreds of thousands spill out of pro-democracy rally and march across the city," 18 Aug. 2019 Mike Wallace, the late TV commentator known for accosting people on 60 Minutes, very likely had a more powerful effect on American political journalism than Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame. — Armond White, National Review, "Mike Wallace: Hero Reporter or Political Egotist?," 24 July 2019 Just as Mary Westfall began leading dozens of elementary school students in morning exercises Thursday, she was accosted by a crowd of people blowing horns, shaking noisemakers and ringing cowbells to congratulate her. — Ashley Mcbride, ExpressNews.com, "Teachers and staff surprised with grants — and Bonham Academy has 11 of them," 22 Aug. 2019 Last year a video went viral of three men in revealing drag being accosted by police in the eastern city of Suzhou. — The Economist, "Politically correct cross-dressing in China," 18 July 2019 Cincinnati police are investigating two robberies in which the victims were accosted from behind by two men who assaulted them. — Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati police: Robbers attacking people from behind," 7 July 2019 Well, don't declare it too loudly, as there have been multiple reports of Trump supporters being accosted for wearing a MAGA cap, or other signs of Trump support. — Adam Shaw, Fox News, "Anti-Trump vandalism sweeps country: Yacht, Hollywood star latest targets," 9 Aug. 2018 Earlier this week at Brainstorm Tech in Aspen, I was accosted by Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, who lectured me on why Fortune needed to pay more attention to the gaming industry. — Alan Murray, Fortune, "The Battle For Cloud-Based Gaming: CEO Daily," 19 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accost.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for accost
accost
verb
English Language Learners Definition of accost
: to approach and speak to (someone) often in an angry, aggressive, or unwanted way
See the full definition for accost in the English Language Learners Dictionary
accost
verb
ac·cost
| \ ə-ˈkȯst
\
\
accosted;
accosting
Kids Definition of accost
: to approach and speak to angrily or aggressively
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