boycott

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈbɔɪkɑt/ UK /ˈbɔɪkɒt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to refuse to deal with a person, company, or country as a protest

Consumers vowed to boycott the brand over its labor practices.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to refuse to deal with a... shun ostracizeblacklistembargo avoid spurn

Opposites

patronize support embrace

Word family

Derived forms boycotterboycotted

Simplified etymology

Boycott comes from the name of Charles Boycott, who in 1880 was among the first people ostracized by the Irish Land League during its campaign to lower rents; the word dates from the late 19th century.

Etymology

An eponym from Captain Charles C. Boycott (1832-1897), a land agent in Ireland who was ostracized by the local community in 1880 during the Land League agitation.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# boycott

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈbɔɪkɑt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɔɪkɒt/

## Meanings
1. to refuse to deal with a person, company, or country as a protest

## Examples
- Consumers vowed to boycott the brand over its labor practices.

## Synonyms
- shun
- ostracize
- blacklist
- embargo
- avoid
- spurn

## Antonyms
- patronize
- support
- embrace

## Derived Forms
- boycotter
- boycotted

## Etymology
An eponym from Captain Charles C. Boycott (1832-1897), a land agent in Ireland who was ostracized by the local community in 1880 during the Land League agitation.

## AI Etymology
Boycott is an eponym from Captain Charles C. Boycott (1832-1897), a land agent in Ireland who was ostracized by the local community in 1880 during the Land League agitation. Used as a verb and noun, boycott now means "refuse to deal with a person, company, or country as a protest", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as boycotter and boycotted. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the historical form and the modern word boycott.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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