boycott

verb boy·cott \ ˈbȯi-ˌkät \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Definition of boycott

boycotted; boycotting; boycotts

: 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

In retrospect, America should have boycotted that Olympics.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Flag fetishists freak out over summit stage design.," 12 June 2018
Political parties in favor of Spanish unity boycotted the referendum, resulting in a lopsided win for the secessionists.

— Washington Post, "Spanish minister: Constitution is way to handle Catalonia," 9 June 2018
In March of 2017, the national team boycotted an international competition until USA Hockey addressed their salary negotiations.

— refinery29.com, "The 100 Highest-Paid Athletes In The World Are All Men — Can You Believe?," 6 June 2018
All conservatives should boycott ABC and products of The View.

— jennifer wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Roseanne Barr Succeeded Because of Her Backward Views," 31 May 2018
The 30+ million viewers who watched Roseanne should boycott the network.

— jessica guynn, USA TODAY, "ABC's move to ax 'Roseanne' reflects businesses are often at front lines of culture wars," 30 May 2018
Let’s please boycott so much production in Georgia — fattening their economy to help fertilize poison like this.

— stephen daw, Billboard, "'Arrested Development' Showrunner Calls For Georgia Boycott If Anti-LGBTQ Bill Passes," 27 Feb. 2018
And others boycotted the SOTU by encouraging their followers to skip the address.

— karen mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Celebs React to Trump's First State of the Union Address While Some Protest by Boycotting," 31 Jan. 2018
Lewis, a famous civil rights hero, has boycotted Trump events in the past, and was attacked by the president on social media last year.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Reps. Maxine Waters and John Lewis Are Boycotting Trump's State of the Union Speech," 14 Jan. 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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