accost

/əˈkɒst/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈkɔːst/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈkȯst -ˈkäst/ (ame, mw)

accost — verb

  • accostpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • accostshe / she / it
  • accostedpast simple
  • accosting-ing form

1. to move directly toward a person you do not know and begin speaking to them, mak

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to move directly toward a person you do not know and begin speaking to them, making the person feel threatened or afraid

例句

A stranger accosted Anika as she walked through the subway station and demanded her wallet.

transitive: [person] accosted [person] as... and demanded...

Outside the car park, two men accosted Omar and asked him for money.

passive: be accosted by [person]

同義詞
  • approach

    neutral — simply means to move nearer; no threatening connotation

  • confront

    implies dealing with a problem or disagreement, not necessarily a stranger

  • buttonhole

    informal; means to force someone into conversation, usually persistent rather than threatening

  • waylay

    implies lying in wait to ambush someone; stronger element of surprise

反義詞
  • avoid

    to deliberately stay away from someone rather than approaching them

  • ignore

    to pay no attention to someone rather than speaking to them

文法句型

accost + person

be accosted by + person (passive)

用法筆記

Often used in passive constructions (be accosted) to focus on the person who receives the unwanted attention. Common in crime reports and news stories about harassment in public places.

常見錯誤

❌A man approached me at the bus stop and asked for the time.' (use 'approach' for neutral situations).
✅A man accosted me at the bus stop and demanded my phone.
💡'accost' is only for threatening or aggressive approaches.
❌My friend accosted me in the hallway to say hello.
✅My friend approached me in the hallway to say hello.
💡do not use 'accost' for friendly interactions.