What does accosted mean?
Accosted is the past tense and past participle of the verb accost, meaning to approach and address someone boldly or aggressively. The word almost always implies that the encounter was unwelcome: a person who has been accosted has been confronted in a way that feels intrusive, hostile, or threatening, whether by a stranger in the street, a persistent beggar, or an angry acquaintance. It appears most often in passive constructions such as 'she was accosted by a stranger', and it is a staple of journalistic and narrative prose describing street encounters, harassment, or confrontation. Importantly, accosting involves speech rather than physical violence — it is the aggressive approach and address, not an assault. The word derives from the Latin 'costa', meaning rib or side, via French 'accoster', literally 'to come alongside'. Its consistently negative connotation makes it a precise choice when writers want to signal that an approach crossed a line of social propriety.
verb (past tense and past participle of accost)Approached and addressed someone boldly or aggressively, especially in a way that feels intrusive, hostile, or unwelcome.
- To approach and address someone boldly or confrontationally, often intrusively or threateningly.
"She was accosted by a stranger demanding money as she left the station."
"He was accosted by reporters the moment he stepped out of the courthouse."
"The beggar accosted passers-by outside the cathedral, asking for spare change."
Accost comes from the Latin for 'side' — to accost someone is literally to go up to their side and force a conversation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accosted
Accosted derives from the verb accost, which entered English from French 'accoster' in the late sixteenth century, originally with the nautical sense of coming alongside a ship. The French term traces back to Late Latin 'accostare', formed from Latin 'ad-' (toward) and 'costa' (rib, side), so the underlying image is of moving up to someone's side. Over time the sense shifted from ships to people, acquiring its modern implication of an intrusive or aggressive approach.
Related word forms
How accosted is actually used
Almost always carries an unfavourable connotation: the approach is unwanted, aggressive, or at least uncomfortably forward. Typically used in the passive ('was accosted by...'). Common in journalism and narrative writing.
Easily confused with accosted
Assaulted means physically attacked, whereas accosted means approached and spoken to aggressively — no physical contact is implied.