To boycott means to refuse to buy, use, or participate in something as a way of protesting or expressing disapproval. When people boycott a product or company, they stop purchasing it to show they disagree with how that business operates. When students boycott the cafeteria because the food quality has gotten terrible, they bring lunch from home instead. The goal is to create pressure for change by withdrawing support.

A successful boycott requires many people working together. One person skipping a store won't change anything, but when thousands coordinate their refusal to buy something, companies notice. During the American Revolution, colonists boycotted British tea and other goods to protest unfair taxes. More recently, people have boycotted companies over environmental practices or labor conditions.

Boycotts work through economic pressure rather than force or violence, making them a tool for everyday people to challenge powerful organizations or policies they believe are wrong.

As a noun, a boycott is the act of doing this: a coordinated refusal to buy, use, or take part in something.