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 Loznitsa was expelled by the Ukrainian Film Academy in March, following his refusal to boycott Russian cinema. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 19 May 2022 She was also involved in negotiations to end the U.S. national team’s threat to boycott the 2017 world championship on home soil, which led to players getting better pay and more equitable treatment. — John Wawrow, ajc, 26 Apr. 2022 She was also involved in negotiations to end the US women’s national team’s threat to boycott the 2017 world championship on home soil, which led to players getting better pay and more equitable treatment. — John Wawrow, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Apr. 2022 Or when Nebraska’s upperclassmen attempted to boycott their coach while Lue, just a freshman, defied them and kept attending practice. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2022 The patterns that have led Drake, The Weeknd, and Frank Ocean to boycott the show clearly haven’t been upended. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2022 In 2016, Rock, then the host of the awards show, poked fun during his opening monologue at Pinkett Smith, who chose to boycott attending the show over a lack of diversity among the acting nominees. — Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2022 The company had faced criticism for failing to crack down on the practice, with some going so far as to boycott it last month. — Téa Kvetenadze, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2021 Most of them care about Israel, though one in 10 support the movement to boycott it. — Ben Sales, sun-sentinel.com, 11 May 2021 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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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries Near boycott

boychick

boycott

Boyden

Statistics for boycott

Last Updated

23 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Boycott.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boycott. Accessed 27 May. 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.