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• boycott
  boycott

  verb (used with object)

  to combine in abstaining from, or preventing dealings with, as a means of intimidation or coercion.
• Boycott
  Boycott

  noun

  Geoff ( rey ). born 1940, English cricketer: played for Yorkshire (1962–86); played in 108 test matches (1964–1982); first England batsman to score 8,000 test runs

Trivia Time

Who gave their name to the word boycott?

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boycott

American  

[boi-kot] / ˈbɔɪ kɒt /

verb (used with object)

1. to combine in abstaining from, or preventing dealings with, as a means of intimidation or coercion.

   to boycott a store.

2. to abstain from buying or using.

   to boycott foreign products.

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noun

1. the practice of boycotting.

2. an instance of boycotting.

boycott ¹ British  

/ ˈbɔɪkɒt /

verb

1. (tr) to refuse to have dealings with (a person, organization, etc) or refuse to buy (a product) as a protest or means of coercion

   to boycott foreign produce

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noun

1. an instance or the use of boycotting

Boycott ² British  

/ ˈbɔɪkɒt /

noun

1. Geoff ( rey ). born 1940, English cricketer: played for Yorkshire (1962–86); played in 108 test matches (1964–1982); first England batsman to score 8,000 test runs

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boycott Cultural  

1. The refusal to purchase the products of an individual, corporation, or nation as a way to bring social and political pressure for change.

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Other Word Forms

• antiboycott
  noun
• boycotter
  noun
• proboycott
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of boycott

After Charles C. Boycott (1832–97), English estate manager in Ireland, against whom nonviolent coercive tactics were used in 1880

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

The guy who accused her of having “blood coming out of her wherever,” nicknamed her “Crazy Megyn,” and encouraged his supporters to boycott her show?

From Slate • May 6, 2026

UQP's decision to scrap her book has sparked a boycott of the publisher by several prominent Australian writers.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

A consumer boycott of grapes under Huerta’s leadership led to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which paved the way for farmworkers to push for better working conditions and pay.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

“Although a group boycott is alleged, there is no antitrust violation here.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

In the third to last paragraph she wrote that, if things did not get better, “there has been talk from twenty-five or more local organizations of planning a city- wide boycott of busses.”

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

Related Words

• avoid
• cut off
• exclude
• refuse
• reject
• snub
• spurn