accosted

[uh-kaw-stid, uh-kos-tid]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR accosted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Heraldry.

(of animals) represented as side by side: two dolphins accosted.

Origin of accosted

First recorded in 1600–10; accost + -ed²

Related formsun·ac·cost·ed, adjective

accost

[uh-kawst, uh-kost]

verb (used with object)

to confront boldly: The beggar accosted me for money.

to approach, especially with a greeting, question, or remark.

(of prostitutes, procurers, etc.) to solicit for sexual purposes.

noun

a greeting.

Origin of accost

First recorded in 1570–80, accost is from the Late Latin word accostāre to be or put side by side. See ac-, coast

Related formsac·cost·a·ble, adjectiveun·ac·cost·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for accosted

confront, annoy, buttonhole, bother, welcome, cross, hail, face, dare, flag, proposition, call, greet, entice, address, brace, challenge, salute

Examples from the Web for accosted

Contemporary Examples of accosted

Days later, supermodel Kate Moss accosted Bieber at another party in Ibiza, giving him a dressing down over his behavior.
13 Celebrities Who Dissed Justin Bieber
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2014
The young lawyer was returning to her townhouse near Regents Park with her boyfriend when she was accosted soon after dark.
Thief Holds Tony Blair’s Daughter At Gunpoint Demanding Jewels and Cash
Nico Hines
September 19, 2013
The doctors were accosted by local settlers, and the Arab doctors and their families were subjected to racial harassment.
Israeli Peace Camp: Empower Moderate Settlers
Samuel Lebens
May 29, 2013
What if he wanted a snack on the way home and accosted a woman on some pretext?
Cannibal Cop Now Faces Life in Prison
Michael Daly
March 12, 2013
They sneaked into the garage claiming it was public property and accosted her.
Inside Katie Holmes’s New Life
Paula Froelich
July 5, 2012

Historical Examples of accosted

I accosted him, when, to my chagrin and disappointment, he was a white man.
Biography of a Slave
Charles Thompson
Just then a French tourist came up and accosted us, smiling ruefully.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
As they moved toward the Secretary's office, Porter was accosted by his trainer.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
As the boy came through the little gate Mortimer accosted him.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
As Maltravers thus soliloquized, he was accosted by Mr. Cleveland.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for accosted

accost

verb

(tr) to approach, stop, and speak to (a person), as to ask a question, accuse of a crime, solicit sexually, etc

noun

rare a greeting

Derived Formsaccostable, adjective

Word Origin for accost

C16: from Late Latin accostāre to place side by side, from Latin costa side, rib

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for accosted

accost

1570s, from Middle French accoster "move up to," from Italian accostare or directly from Late Latin accostare "come up to the side," from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + costa "rib, side" (see coast (n.)). The original notion is of fleets of warships attacking an enemy's coast. Related: Accosted; accosting.