ACCOSTED Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

accosted

verb

past tense of accost

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of accosted The sheriff's office said the victim of the robbery reported that they were accosted by two men, who threatened the victim with a firearm and robbed them before fleeing on foot. — Coleman Petit, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Almost as soon as Jackie enters her flat there, she is accosted by gunmen, narrowly escaping before learning the diabolical and psychopathic mercenaries, The Seven Demons, have been tasked with ending her life. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026 Miltenberg said his client was publicly accosted Thursday and that his client’smother has received death threats. — Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 Prosecutors presented the state’s case over six days, laying out for the judge how the former plastic surgeon accosted Steven Cozzi in the bathroom of his law office on a Tuesday morning, and Cozzi was never seen again. — Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026 At half-time of the mostly engrossing, controversial Manchester derby on Sunday, Marc Guehi was accosted by a Sky Sports reporter and asked a few questions. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Osama, donning his bulletproof blue press jacket and armed with his camera, is accosted by a woman wailing that 200 of her neighbors are gone. — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026 According to a police affidavit, Sanchez accosted Perry Tole after the Indiana resident had backed his truck into the loading docks of a downtown Indianapolis hotel. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 In 1982, walking through a terminal at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, the Kissingers were accosted by Ellen Kaplan, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, a cult leader with both Marxist and right-wing associations. — Robert D. McFadden, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for accosted

Verb

Even gambling, when approached responsibly, can be an enjoyable recreational activity.

— Aneri Jambusaria, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
But Mana said those plans were still on the table when Griffin’s team approached him about buying Mana Wynwood about three years ago.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of approached

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accost

accosted

accosting

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“Accosted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accosted. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of accosted

verb

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