boycott
Loading your saved state.
boycott
The organized refusal to buy certain products, use services, or take part in something in order to exert pressure as a form of protest.
Menschenrechtsgruppen riefen zu einem Boykott der Produkte des Unternehmens auf.
Human rights groups called for a boycott of the company's products.
'Boykott' (boycott) is often combined with certain verbs. The expression 'zu einem Boykott aufrufen' (to call for a boycott) is very common. Other typical verbs are 'organisieren' (to organize), 'durchführen' (to carry out), or, more formally, 'verhängen' (to impose).
Die Opposition rief zu einem Wahlboykott auf.
The opposition called for an election boycott.
Alongside the noun 'der Boykott' (the boycott), there is the corresponding verb 'boykottieren' (to boycott). The sentence 'Sie boykottieren die Konferenz' (They are boycotting the conference) means the same as 'Sie üben einen Boykott der Konferenz aus' (They are carrying out a boycott of the conference).
Viele Kunden boykottieren die Produkte dieser Firma.
Many customers are boycotting this company's products.
To express what is being boycotted, German usually uses the genitive or the preposition 'von' with the dative. Both are correct.
Der Boykott der Spiele war ein politisches Signal.
The boycott of the games was a political signal.
sanction
'die Sanktion' and 'der Boykott' can both put pressure on someone so that something changes. A 'Sanktion', however, is usually an official punitive measure, often by a state or an organization. A 'Boykott' is an organized refusal to buy something, use something, or take part in something. The words can be confused because both are used as political or economic tools. 'Sanktion' is more suitable for official decisions; 'Boykott' fits when people or groups deliberately do not participate or do not buy anything.
Viele Kunden beteiligten sich am Boykott und kauften die Produkte nicht mehr.
Many customers took part in the boycott and stopped buying the products.
Die Regierung verhängte eine Sanktion, weil das Land den Vertrag gebrochen hatte.
The government imposed a sanction because the country had broken the treaty.