accost
3 synonyms and 3 antonyms for accost, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To walk up to someone and speak to them in a forceful or unwelcome way.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. verb
To walk up to someone and speak to them in a forceful or unwelcome way.
“A beggar accosted me as soon as I stepped outside.”
Etymology
Accost comes from Middle French accoster, acoster, from Old French acoster (“to stand beside”), which gave Medieval Latin accostare in turn, from Old French a- plus coste (“side, flank”).
Full origin of accost →