accost
To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or requestTo approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request.
» The beggar accosted me for money.
Der Bettler bedrängte mich um Geld.
Meaning
8 senses(transitive)To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request.
A beggar accosted me as soon as I stepped outside.
bedrängen
обраща́тьсяobraščátʹsja, загова́риватьzagovárivatʹ
speak to someone
(transitive)To speak to first; to address; to greet.
(transitive)To assault.
(transitive)To solicit sexually.
приставатьpristavatʹ
(obsolete, transitive)To join side to side; to border.
(broadly, obsolete, transitive)To sail along the coast or side of.
(obsolete, transitive)To approach; to come up to.
approach with an offer of sexual favors
(intransitive, obsolete)To adjoin; to lie alongside.
Examples
11 sentencesThe beggar accosted me for money.
deDer Bettler bedrängte mich um Geld. — Yorwba
He accosted me in the street.
Don't accost strangers on the street.
A passerby is accosting me in the street.
Ziri was suddenly accosted by a guard who searched him.
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle French accoster, acoster, from Old French acoster (“to stand beside”) (whenceFrom Middle French accoster, acoster, from Old French acoster (“to stand beside”) (whence Medieval Latin accostare), from Old French a- + coste (“side, flank”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
accosts, accosting, accosted, accostedSynonyms
5 synonyms- speak to someone:addresscome up to
- approach with an offer of sexual favors:hooksolicit
Word family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle