Meaning & use
accost
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Meaning
verbtransitivedisapproving
To approach and speak to someone boldly, aggressively, or in an unwelcome way.
Grammar: Takes an object: accost a stranger; unlike approach, it implies pressure or intrusion.
Patterns
- accost someone
- accost a stranger
- be accosted by someone
- accost someone outside a place
A salesperson accosted us before we reached the ticket desk.
She was accosted by a man demanding money near the station.
Reporters accosted the official as he left the courthouse.
Word forms
| third person singular | accosts |
|---|---|
| past tense | accosted |
| past participle | accosted |
| -ing form | accosting |
Common combinations
- accost a stranger
- He would never accost a stranger just to ask for personal details.
- be accosted by reporters
- The candidate was accosted by reporters outside the debate hall.
- accost someone aggressively
- Security stopped the man who was accosting visitors aggressively.
- accost someone on the street
- She felt unsafe after being accosted on the street at night.
Synonyms and how they differ
- approach
- Neutral movement toward someone; accost adds that the contact is bold or unwanted.
- confront
- Emphasizes a direct challenge or accusation, while accost emphasizes the initial unwanted approach.
- waylay
- Suggests stopping or intercepting someone, often suddenly; accost stresses speaking to them.
- buttonhole
- Informal for detaining someone in conversation; less threatening than accost.
Opposites
Commonly confused: accost or approach? accost or assault?
accost vs approach
Approach is neutral; accost implies the person approached is likely to feel threatened or annoyed.
accost vs assault
Assault involves physical attack or a legal charge; accost is mainly an unwanted verbal approach.
Practice
The witness was ___ outside the courtroom by someone shouting questions.
Choose one answer.
Accosted fits an unwanted, aggressive approach by someone shouting questions. Greeted, thanked, and introduced are polite or neutral and do not match the hostile context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “accost”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.