boycott

verb

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boy·cott | \ ˈbȯi-ˌkät

boycotted; boycotting; boycotts

Definition of boycott

transitive verb

: 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

Other Words from boycott Did you know? More Example Sentences Phrases Containing boycott Learn More About boycott

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.

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 on the Web Ultimately, despite some people vowing to boycott or quit Spotify, the company said its monthly active users increased in the first quarter to 422 million, up from 406 million in the previous quarter. — Wendy Leestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2022 Democrats shot down that option, leaving Republicans threatening to boycott any committee vote and stall the nomination. — New York Times, 24 Mar. 2022 Governments, corporations and individuals have come together to sanction and boycott Moscow, and Europe has opened its doors to a flood of refugees. — Zeena Safi, CNN, 16 Mar. 2022 Also, China’s domestic policies about human rights have come under intense global scrutiny with activists pressuring Olympic sponsors and NBC to criticize the host nation or even boycott the Games. — Brad Adgate, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 The resulting uproar led many Hollywood constituencies to boycott the HFPA and prompted NBC, their longtime broadcasting partner for the Globes, to decline to air a Globes ceremony in 2022. — Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan. 2022 More than 70 people have joined a private Facebook group dedicated to planning how to effectively boycott the convention and expose misconduct at all cosplay and anime conventions. — Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2021 Exiled leaders of the democracy movement have called for Hong Kongers to cast blank ballots this weekend or boycott the process. — BostonGlobe.com, 17 Dec. 2021 White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified later in the day that Yellen was referring to ministerial-level meetings and that the United States would not boycott the summit in its entirety. — Fatima Hussein, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2022 See More

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.

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Dictionary Entries Near boycott

boychick

boycott

Boyden

Statistics for boycott

Last Updated

3 Aug 2022

Cite this Entry

“Boycott.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boycott. Accessed 13 Aug. 2022.

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More Definitions for boycott

boycott

verb

boy·cott | \ ˈbȯi-ˌkät

boycotted; boycotting

Kids Definition of boycott

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

Kids Definition of boycott (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

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.