What does boycott mean?
Word: Boycott
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Boycott means to refuse to buy, use or take part in something as a way of protesting against it.
Synonyms: shun, avoid
Antonyms: support, patronise
How do you spell boycott?
Syllables: boy - cott
Tricky part: It begins with boy and ends with a double t: boy-cott.
Watch out for: boycot, boicott, boycut
Memory tip: Write it as boy and cott: an everyday word first, then cot with an extra t at the end.
Boycott in a sentence
Example 1: The residents decided to boycott the shop that sold stale food.
Example 2: Some players boycotted the tournament because of the poor pitches.
Example 3: Calls to boycott plastic bags have grown in many cities.
Fun Fact
The word comes from Captain Charles Boycott, an English land agent in Ireland whom local people refused to work for or trade with in 1880.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
otcbyto
a) boycott
b) tycoon
c) boyhood
d) cotton
Show answer
a) boycott. Cotton and tycoon need an n and boyhood an h and a d; the two t's and the b make boycott.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: boycott
a) attend
b) accept
c) welcome
d) reject
Show answer
d) reject. To boycott something is to reject it as a protest.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) boycott
b) protesst
c) petetion
d) demonstrasion
Show answer
a) boycott. Demonstration ends in tion, petition has an i after pet, and protest has one s.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The whole class agreed to boycott plastic straws and use paper ones at the anual fair.
a) boycott
b) anual
c) straws
d) agreed
Show answer
b) anual. Annual has a double n after the first a.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. During the Swadeshi movement, Indians who boycotted British cloth chose instead to ____.
a) buy more cloth from Britain
b) use cloth made in India
c) sell British cloth in their shops
d) wear only imported silk
Show answer
b) use cloth made in India
2. Fans boycotted the stadium after ticket prices doubled. What most likely happened?
a) Fans queued for hours to buy tickets
b) The stadium sold out in minutes
c) Many seats stayed empty at the next match
d) Fans asked for more matches there
Show answer
c) Many seats stayed empty at the next match
