MEANING
To approach someone and speak to them in a bold, unwanted, or confrontational way.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- accost a stranger
- accost someone in the street
On the page
A stranger accosted her beneath the station clock.
He was accosted by a creditor before he reached the carriage.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- accost
- Past tense
- accosted
- Past participle
- accosted
- Present participle
- accosting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- accost
- Present continuous
- am/is/are accosting
- Present perfect
- have/has accosted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been accosting
- Past
- accosted
- Past continuous
- was/were accosting
- Past perfect
- had accosted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been accosting
- Future
- will accost
- Future continuous
- will be accosting
- Future perfect
- will have accosted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been accosting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: accost; accosts; accosted; accosted; accosting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: accosts.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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