ENGLISH
REFERENCE

BDS

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced bds Slang Vulgar

n. Stands for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. A global movement that encourages people and companies to stop supporting Israel to pressure it into changing its policies toward Palestinians.

n. Abbreviation for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. A Palestinian-led movement promoting various forms of boycott against Israel until it complies with what the campaign describes as its obligations under international law.


SIMPLE

The student group voted to support the BDS movement.

CONTEXTUAL

Several international artists cancelled their scheduled performances in Tel Aviv after being pressured by BDS activists.

COMPLEX

Debates surrounding BDS often center on whether the movement's tactics are a legitimate form of non-violent political protest or a strategy that unfairly targets a single nation-state.

Synonyms
Usage

Typically used with the definite article ('the BDS movement') or as a modifier for nouns like 'campaign' or 'activist'.

© 2026 English Reference