accost

verb

ac·​cost ə-ˈkȯst 

-ˈkäst

accosted; accosting; accosts

transitive verb

: 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

James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois, was charged with assaulting a government official Tuesday after allegedly accosting Mace. —Greg Wehner, Fox News, 12 Dec. 2024

Penny accosted Neely on the subway after Neely made death threats against other passengers. —Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024

The best way to counter those who would frighten their fellow citizens from the polls is to fight back — by recording, photographing and reporting attempts at harassment and by refusing to engage with people who try to accost voters. —Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024

Native artists winced two years ago when Gilbert Ortega Jr. accosted Native performers in front of his store in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, during a Super Bowl promotion. —Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French accoster, going back to Old French, "to go alongside of, sail along the coast of, place (a vessel) beside another" (sʼacoster a "to take a place beside, draw near, support"), probably going back to Vulgar Latin *accostāre, from Latin ad- ad- + costa "rib, side" — more at coast entry 1

Note: A common, polysemous verb in Anglo-French, though the English verb, which only begins to appear in the late 16th century, is apparently borrowed directly from Continental French. The sense "to approach and speak to" only appears in French in the early 17th century, about the same time that it appears in English.

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

accost

verb

ac·​cost ə-ˈkȯst 

-ˈkäst

: to approach and speak to often in a challenging or aggressive way