boycott
verb (used with object)
to combine in abstaining from, or preventing dealings with, as a means of intimidation or coercion.
Trivia Time
Who gave their name to the word boycott?
boycott
American
[boi-kot]
/ ˈbɔɪ kɒt /
verb (used with object)
-
boycotts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
boycotted,
past participle, past
-
boycotting
present participle
-
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.
noun
-
boycotts
plural
-
the practice of boycotting.
-
an instance of boycotting.
boycott
1
British
/ ˈbɔɪkɒt /
verb
noun
Boycott
2
British
/ ˈbɔɪkɒt /
noun
boycott
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
boycottsimple
-
boycottssimple
-
have boycottedperfect
-
has boycottedperfect
-
am boycottingprogressive
-
are boycottingprogressive
-
is boycottingprogressive
-
have been boycottingperfect progressive
-
has been boycottingperfect progressive
Past
-
boycottedsimple
-
had boycottedperfect
-
was boycottingprogressive
-
were boycottingprogressive
-
had been boycottingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing boycott
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In one food group I follow, posts about AI restaurant marketing increasingly read like miniature boycott pledges.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Kit Harington has faced backlash since joining HBO’s “Harry Potter” series amid ongoing calls to boycott author J.K.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Grindr’s efforts to court advertisers are still being complicated by brand controversies going back to the 2023 Bud Light boycott, CEO George Arison said Tuesday at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival in New York City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
In a statement on Instagram, he said the boycott had been organised by Robert Kraft - the billionaire owner of the Gilette Stadium in Massachusetts.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
It was the boycott leaflet: “Don’t ride the bus on Monday.”
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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 ● Mar. 20, 2026
They held signs that read “Protect our workers” and “Defend day labor centers! Boycott Home Depot.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 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 ● Jan. 31, 2026
Geoffrey Boycott has urged England to "use their brains" as Ben Stokes's men go in search of an Ashes series-levelling win in this week's second Test in Brisbane.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
I try to think outside the box— most men use football teams as passwords, I think, but Tom isn’t into football; he quite likes cricket, so I try Boycott and Botham and Ashes.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
"Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act," an antitrust measure, Covington wrote in a statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
“Members of the television press pool have boycotted covering White House events. Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act,” Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
"Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act," a DoJ spokesperson said, referring to the federal law that bars companies from engaging in monopolistic business practices.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
The boycotts since then have erased roughly $360 million in revenue for the U.S. wine industry, according to a Wine Institute report, which represents California wineries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Program of Action approved at the annual conference called for the pursuit of political rights through the use of boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience, and noncooperation.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Critics say the dialogue -- which excluded armed groups and was boycotted by key opposition parties -- did little to address these challenges.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Ordinary Canadians have even boycotted U.S. products and avoided taking vacations here in solidarity.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Nationals was held in Chicago in 1967, he boycotted the singles event until 1972, when he returned and won the title four years in a row.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
It was the culmination of a showdown in the Clacton constituency, which was boycotted by the other major British parties.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Black people had boycotted the city bus system there for an entire year, and the Supreme Court had ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional, forcing the city to change its laws.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Meanwhile, university students in several other Albanian towns were boycotting classes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Local elections are under way, which protesters are boycotting.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
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 ● May 13, 2026
In Dallas, Carrie Hanna was hurt to discover that friends she thought were boycotting the camp are, in fact, sending their daughters this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
On a morning in December 1955, word reached Durham that blacks in Montgomery, Alabama, were boycotting the city’s segregated bus system.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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