boycott

American  

[boi-kot] / ˈbɔɪ kɒt /

verb (used with object)

1. to combine in abstaining from, or preventing dealings with, as a means of intimidation or coercion.

   to boycott a store.

2. to abstain from buying or using.

   to boycott foreign products.

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noun

1. the practice of boycotting.

2. an instance of boycotting.

boycott ¹ British  

/ ˈbɔɪkɒt /

verb

1. (tr) to refuse to have dealings with (a person, organization, etc) or refuse to buy (a product) as a protest or means of coercion

   to boycott foreign produce

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noun

1. an instance or the use of boycotting

Boycott ² British  

/ ˈbɔɪkɒt /

noun

1. Geoff ( rey ). born 1940, English cricketer: played for Yorkshire (1962–86); played in 108 test matches (1964–1982); first England batsman to score 8,000 test runs

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boycott Cultural  

1. The refusal to purchase the products of an individual, corporation, or nation as a way to bring social and political pressure for change.

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Other Word Forms

• antiboycott noun
• boycotter noun
• proboycott adjective

Etymology

Origin of boycott

After Charles C. Boycott (1832–97), English estate manager in Ireland, against whom nonviolent coercive tactics were used in 1880

Explanation

To boycott means to stop buying or using the goods or services of a certain company or country as a protest; the noun boycott is the protest itself. This noun comes from the name of Charles C. Boycott, an English land agent in 19th-century Ireland who refused to reduce rents for his tenant farmers. As a result, the local residents did not want to have any dealings with him. Boycotts are an effective way to use your spending dollars to effect change.

Example Sentences

UQP's decision to scrap her book has sparked a boycott of the publisher by several prominent Australian writers.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Simon was criticised at the time for breaking the cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

A consumer boycott of grapes under Huerta’s leadership led to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which paved the way for farmworkers to push for better working conditions and pay.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

After the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, the team voted to boycott games in protest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

In 1975 Frank Sikora, a Birmingham newspaper reporter writing a story on the Montgomery bus boycott, thought he remembered there had been someone before Rosa Parks.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

Related Words

• avoid
• cut off
• exclude
• refuse
• reject
• snub
• spurn