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In the 1870s, Irish farmers faced an agricultural crisis that threatened to result in a repeat of the terrible famine and mass evictions of the 1840s. Anticipating financial ruin, they formed a Land League to campaign against the rent increases and evictions landlords were imposing as a result of the crisis. When retired British army captain Charles Boycott, acting as an agent for an absentee landlord, tried to evict tenant farmers for refusing to pay their rent, he was ostracized by the League and community. His laborers and servants quit, and the crops in his care began to rot. Boycott’s fate was soon well known, and his name became a byword for that particular protest strategy, both as a verb and as a noun. Across the Atlantic three-quarters of a century later, boycotts such as the Montgomery bus boycott were pivotal components of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Examples of boycott in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boycott.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Charles C. Boycott †1897 English land agent in Ireland who was ostracized for refusing to reduce rents
1880, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing boycott
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Cite this Entry
“Boycott.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boycott. Accessed 8 Sep. 2024.
Kids Definition
boycott
1 of 2 verbboycott
2 of 2 nounnamed for Charles Boycott 1832–1897 estate manager in Ireland
Legal Definition
boycott
transitive verbNote: A boycott of a business by its competitors, suppliers, or buyers that has the effect of preventing the business's access to the market is a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
More from Merriam-Webster on boycott
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for boycott
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Britannica English: Translation of boycott for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boycott
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