YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

boycott

Verb

IPA /ˈbɔɪkɒt/

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Meaning in plain English

To refuse to buy, use or take part in something as a protest.

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Pronunciation

boycott/ˈbɔɪkɒt/

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Customers object to a practice
They refuse to buy
The refusal sends a protest

To boycott a business is to refuse to use it as a deliberate protest.

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Examples in context

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Several neighbours decided to boycott the shop over its treatment of staff.
Students voted to boycott the event until the organisers changed the rules.

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Several neighbours decided to ________ the shop over its treatment of staff.

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boycott — To refuse to buy, use or take part in something as a protest.

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To refuse to buy, use or take part in something as a protest.

Compare: Several neighbours decided to boycott the shop over its treatment of staff.

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Word origin

Named after Charles C. Boycott, a land agent targeted by organised refusal in Ireland in 1880.

Did you know?

Boycott can also be a noun: a boycott of a product or event.

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