Boycott Meaning
/ˈbɔɪkɒt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo abstain, either as an individual or a group, from using, buying, or dealing with someone or some organization as an expression of protest.
nounThe act of boycotting.
Sentence Examples
He organized a boycott of the bus service.
In 1880, the Irish boycotted a landowner, Captain C.C. Boycott, for failing to lower rents.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Consumers decided to ____ the company's products due to unfair labor practices.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The group decided to ____ the new products to protest the high prices.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English Charles Boycott English boycott From Charles Boycott, an English evicting land agent in Ireland who was subject to a boycott organized by the Irish Land League in 1880. For the surname see Boycott.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There is probably not a citizen in the United States who wears a hat that has not heard of John Stetson, and does not know that the Stetson hat is one of if not the best made. For some cause the Knights [of Labor] have boycotted the Stetson hats, and have notified all dealers that if they sell them they also will be boycotted."
— 1886 April 1, “Knights of Labor”, in Railway Conductors' Monthly, volume 3, number 4, Chicago, page 214:
"Unbowed after two years in jail, nine of the defendants boycotted the trial, refusing even to talk to their lawyers."
— 1998 July 3, James Brooke, “Anti-Government Freemen Are Found Guilty of Fraud”, in New York Times, retrieved 08 Aug 2012:
"But even if you weren't boycotting the film on the basis of its disgraceful necrobestiality theme, boycotting it on the basis of its vampires is reason enough."
— 2012, Charlie Brooker, I Can Make You Hate:
"Omar has challenged Elliott Abrams’s record in Latin America, taken a firm line against Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and advocated for—wait for it—the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine (even though the headlines have focused on her expressing support for the right to boycott as a tactic)."
— 2019 September 10, Jonathan Guyer, The American Prospect, number Fall 2019:
"Consumers are using boycotts as a tool to call corporations out for their support of Israel’s war on Gaza. Some companies have seen their sales decline as consumers continue to boycott them for their association with Israel."
— 2023 December 14, Al Jazeera, Are the boycotts against Israel making an impact?, number Israel-Gaza war aftermath:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Consumers decided to ____ the company's products due to unfair labor practices.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The group decided to ____ the new products to protest the high prices.