ENGLISH
REFERENCE

boycott

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbɔɪˌkɑt// UK //bˈɔɪkɒt// boy·cott

n. a group decision to stop buying from or using a business to show that you disagree with them. It is a way to pressure a company or country to change its behavior.

n. a collective and organized refusal to engage in commercial or social relations with a specific entity as a form of protest. Often used as a strategic tool in political or social activism to exert economic pressure.


SIMPLE

The students started a boycott of the cafeteria to protest high prices.

CONTEXTUAL

The international community organized a trade boycott against the regime to demand an end to human rights violations.

COMPLEX

Historical analysis suggests that the effectiveness of a consumer boycott depends heavily on the availability of alternative products and the sustained commitment of the participating public.

Antonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Often takes the preposition 'of' to indicate the target and 'against' to indicate the reason or entity.

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