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boycott Definition

boy·cott (bo̵i′kät′)

transitive verb

  1. to join together in refusing to deal with, so as to punish, coerce, etc.
  2. to refuse to buy, sell, or use to boycott a newspaper

Etymology: after Capt. C. C. Boycott, land agent ostracized by his neighbors during the Land League agitation in Ireland in 1880

noun

an act or instance of boycotting

boycott Synonyms

boycott

v.

withhold patronage, hold aloof from, blacklist, avoid; see bar 2, ostracize, strike 2.

boycott Finance Definition

An agreement among competitors to not have any dealings with a person, company, or organization. A boycott can violate the law if it is used to force another party to pay higher prices or in any way restrict competition. If boycotts are launched to prevent a company from entering a market, they are illegal. Often boycotts are used by consumer or social action groups to prompt a company to change its behavior or policies that are deemed harmful to the group.

boycott Law Definition

v

  1. A concerted action by two or more individuals or entities to avoid commercial dealings with a business or to induce others to take the same action. This may include the refusal to work for the business and to purchase or distribute the company’s products. While peaceful boycotts are generally legal, boycotts that use coercion or intimidation to prevent others from dealing with the targeted business are not.
  2. To engage in a boycott. See also picketing and strike.
consumer boycott
A concerted refusal of consumers to purchase the products or services of a business to indicate displeasure with the manufacturer, seller, or provider of the product.
group boycott
A concerted refusal of a group of competing businesses to conduct commercial transactions with a company with whom they would otherwise do business. Such boycotts are illegal under the Sherman Antitrust Act.
primary boycott
A union-organized boycott of an employer with which the union’s membership have a labor dispute. For example, a union involved in a dispute over wages with a business may encourage customers not to buy that company’s products.
secondary boycott
A boycott of a targeted company’s customers or suppliers with whom the boycotters have no direct dispute to compel those customers and suppliers to refrain from doing business with the targeted company. Such boycotts are illegal under the Taft-Hartley Act if organized by a union.

boycott Usage Examples

Object

  • circus: RSPCA says: " Boycott the circus " RSPCA Circus FAQ's here.
  • referendum: The Catholic bishops had urged voters to boycott the referendum, which needed a 50 % turnout to be valid.
  • poll: They were said to be out addressing rallies calling MDC supporters to boycott the senate poll.
  • election: They announced that they would boycott the elections for the first duma.
  • supermarket: However she asked UK consumers not to boycott the supermarket.

Converse of object

  • urge: Last year ethnic minority officers rebelled against the Met, urging a boycott of recruitment campaigns.
  • threaten: Fan clubs could attempt to save their members from debt by threatening boycotts for better prices.
  • organize: The black community was outraged, and their pastors quickly organized a one-day boycott of the busses in protest.
  • declare: Coke withdrew from Iraq in 1968 when the Arab League declared a boycott because of its business ties to Israel.
  • organize: I suggest we organize an immediate boycott of all Nestle products.

Adjective modifier

  • Arab: However, the magnitude of the Arab boycott of US products is minimized by economists.
  • one-day: The black community was outraged, and their pastors quickly organized a one-day boycott of the busses in protest.
  • academic: This will certainly add fuel to the arguments for an academic boycott.
  • worldwide: American Muslims reacted by calling for a worldwide boycott of Burger King outlets unless the franchise is withdrawn.
  • Israeli: The question is ' can Arabs revive the US and Israeli boycott once again?

Modifies a noun

campaign: Unions mounted the boycott campaign last month following the decision to close Ryton, with the loss of 2,300 jobs.

Noun used with modifier

  • consumer: Norway Boycotts Israel A week ago Norway's largest trade union, representing some 800,000 workers, declared a consumer boycott of Israel.
  • bus: During the Montgomery bus boycott, King was bombarded with death threats.

Preposition: of

  • referendum: This urges an active boycott of the referendum on British membership of the euro.
  • appraisal: A boycott of staff appraisal This applies to all staff who participate in any form of staff performance appraisal.

Browse dictionary entries near boycott

  1. ‹ boychik
  2. ‹ boyar
  3. ‹ boy toy
  4. ‹ Boy Scout
  5. ‹ boy
  6. ‹ boxy
  7. ‹ boxwood
  8. ‹ boxthorn
  9. ‹ boxing glove
  10. ‹ Boxing Day
  1. boyfriend ›
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