boycott

verb boy·cott \ ˈbȯi-ˌkät \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of boycott

: to engage in a concerted refusal to have dealings with (a person, a store, an organization, etc.) usually to express disapproval or to force acceptance of certain conditions

boycotting American products

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boycott

noun

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boycotter

noun

See boycott defined for English-language learners

See boycott defined for kids

boycott was our Word of the Day on 01/07/2008. Hear the podcast!

Examples of boycott in a Sentence

plans to boycott American products
They boycotted the city's bus system.
We boycotted companies that were polluting the environment.

Recent Examples of boycott from the Web

Penn educator Jonathan Zimmerman, on the other hand, thinks in the #MeToo era women should boycott frats to press for change.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "Pa. primary voters guide, deadly protests erupt as U.S. opens embassy | Morning Newsletter," 15 May 2018
Odinga contested the outcome of two presidential elections last year -- the first of which was annulled by the Supreme Court, while the second was boycotted by his supporters.

— paul richardson, Bloomberg.com, "Kenyan President Apologizes Over Vote Fracas, Urges Unity," 2 May 2018
The Women of Color coalition of the Time’s Up campaign are calling on RCA Records, Ticketmaster, and other major music corporations to boycott R. Kelly’s music and investigate his behavior.

— kristen bellstrom, Fortune, "Stormy Daniels, Sexual Assault in the Military, Lola Condoms: Broadsheet May 1," 1 May 2018
Paypal, Deutsche Bank, Adidas, and other companies that boycotted the state had to respond to a national constituency; North Carolina’s feckless senators and representatives did not.

— adam winkler, The New Republic, "Why big business is suddenly into liberal politics," 30 Apr. 2018
Over one million people also signed a petition boycotting a visit by the American president.

— NBC News, "White House: Trump to make first trip to U.K. in July," 26 Apr. 2018
In any case, that visit was put on hold in part because British lawmakers and others vowed to protest and boycott Trump over his policies.

— anne gearan, Washington Post, "President Trump to make first official visit to Britain in July," 26 Apr. 2018
The cost of providing the training, closing the stores and any loss of sales due to boycotting customers won’t show up until the fiscal third quarter when William Blair estimates up to a halfpenny penalty to earnings per share.

— julie jargon, WSJ, "Starbucks Corp. Earnings -- What to Watch," 25 Apr. 2018
Would boycotting Sinclair stations suddenly guarantee that Democrats take the House this fall?

— jason johnson, The Root, "Here Are the House Races Where Sinclair Broadcast’s Propaganda Could Have the Biggest Impact," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boycott.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In the 1870s, Irish farmers faced an agricultural crisis that threatened to result in a repeat of the terrible famine and mass evictions of the 1840s. Anticipating financial ruin, they formed a Land League to campaign against the rent increases and evictions landlords were imposing as a result of the crisis. Retired British army captain Charles Boycott had the misfortune to be acting as an agent for an absentee landlord at the time, and when he tried to evict tenant farmers for refusing to pay their rent, he was ostracized by the League and community. His laborers and servants quit, and his crops began to rot. Boycott's fate was soon well known, and his name became a byword for that particular protest strategy.

Origin and Etymology of boycott

Charles C. Boycott †1897 English land agent in Ireland who was ostracized for refusing to reduce rents

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1880

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

BOYCOTT Defined for English Language Learners

boycott

verb

Definition of boycott for English Language Learners

: to refuse to buy, use, or participate in (something) as a way of protesting : to stop using the goods or services of (a company, country, etc.) until changes are made

BOYCOTT Defined for Kids

boycott

verb boy·cott \ ˈbȯi-ˌkät \

Definition of boycott for Students

boycotted; boycotting

: to join with others in refusing to deal with someone (as a person, organization, or country) as a way of protesting or forcing changes

boycott

noun

Definition of boycott for Students

: the process or an instance of joining with others in refusing to deal with someone (as a person, organization, or country) as a way of protesting or forcing changes

Law Dictionary

boycott

transitive verb boy·cott \ ˈbȯi-ˌkät \

legal Definition of boycott

: to engage in a concerted refusal to have dealings with (as a store, business, or organization) usually to express disapproval or to force acceptance of certain conditions — see also primary boycott, secondary boycott

Note: A boycott of a business by its competitors, suppliers, or buyers that has the effect of preventing the business's access to the market is a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

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