to combine in abstaining from, or preventing dealings with, as a means of intimidation or coercion.
to boycott a store.
to abstain from buying or using.
to boycott foreign products.
the practice of boycotting.
an instance of boycotting.
After Charles C. Boycott (1832โ97), English estate manager in Ireland, against whom nonviolent coercive tactics were used in 1880
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Day laborers were largely split on a potential boycott.
From Los Angeles Times โ Jul. 26, 2026
A main topic of discussion was a possible boycott against Home Depot, which activists say has not done enough to stop the raids.
From Los Angeles Times โ Jul. 26, 2026
And lastly, the enduring boycott of US booze by most Canadian provinces has become a major sore point for the Americans since it was imposed last year.
From BBC โ Jul. 20, 2026
In 2007, responding to a proposed British boycott of Israel, PEN declared that it “emphatically opposes any efforts to inhibit the free international exchange of literature, art, information, or knowledge.”
From The Wall Street Journal โ Jul. 14, 2026
Even during my second Cambridge year, when I moved into rooms on the R staircase of Clare’s Memorial Court, my boycott of college food continued.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
While still publicly backing each other, McCullum suggested England did not stick to their method, while Stokes batted like Geoffrey Boycott and said teams had worked out how to play against them.
From BBC โ Mar. 20, 2026
“Protesters gathered outside the event to raise awareness about the Boycott ‘Scream 7’ campaign and urge audiences to refrain from supporting the film.”
From Los Angeles Times โ Feb. 26, 2026
According to Belafonte, they arranged a meeting in the basement of Abyssinian Baptist Church, where King told him he was almost out of money to fund the Montgomery Bus Boycott and asked for help.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Jan. 31, 2026
Boycott wrote in a recent column for British newspaper The Telegraph that England's preparations were "madness".
From Barron's โ Nov. 12, 2025
“Worse. Boycott the site and make us fall to the second page on search engines. Nobody clicks on the second page.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
The Olympics have taught us this about boycotts: No matter how worthy the cause, no one pays attention once the Games start.
From Los Angeles Times โ Jul. 14, 2026
The Bezos’ involvement was met with boycotts and protests.
From Salon โ May 6, 2026
As a prominent labour organiser, Chavez helped lead a major strike against Delano grape growers in the 1960s, which sparked boycotts across the country, in order to gain better wages and conditions for workers.
From BBC โ Mar. 30, 2026
Another student organization, TransparUNCy, has organized boycotts and teach-ins opposing the school.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Feb. 21, 2026
He was appearing on the broadcasts almost nightly because of the boycotts.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
After Labour, the Conservatives and other major parties boycotted the vote, the most prominent competitor in the field is Count Binface.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Jul. 12, 2026
It is still uncertain whether members who boycotted the 2026 contest will participate next year.
From BBC โ Jul. 1, 2026
The activists, who boycotted the trial along with their legal team, deny the charges.
From BBC โ Jun. 23, 2026
Austria later boycotted Eurovision in 1969 when it was hosted by Spain, then under the rule of dictator Francisco Franco.
From The Wall Street Journal โ May 16, 2026
When we called meetings to discuss our griev-ances and later had news sessions to discuss what we had learned from the paper, the PAC boycotted these gatherings.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
The public broadcasters of five countries - Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia - are boycotting this year's event, making it the smallest since 2003.
From BBC โ May 13, 2026
The amounts aren’t punitive, but they essentially function as a tax-code tariff on doing business in the boycotting country.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Mar. 19, 2026
Rep. Veronica Escobar is boycotting the main event in favor of the People’s State of the Union.
From Slate โ Feb. 24, 2026
That match took place amid fan protests with the team being whistled at the Stade Velodrome and supporters behind the goals boycotting the opening 15 minutes of the encounter.
From Barron's โ Feb. 15, 2026
To me, the critical question was a tactical one: Will our organization emerge stronger through participating in these organizations or by boycotting them?
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ยฉ Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritageยฎ Idioms Dictionary copyright ยฉ 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
