battle cry

noun

plural battle cries

1

: a shouted word, phrase, or sound used by a body of fighters before or in battle : war cry

… the Texans later defeated the Mexican army …, securing Texas' independence from Mexico. "Remember the Alamo" was their battle cry.

—US Official News

2

: a slogan, catchphrase, or motto that is used especially to rally people to a cause or to rouse people to action : rallying cry

… the Senator … has selected the battle cry that his listeners will understand and respond to.

—William H. Grimes

She [softball coach Vickie Sax] added: "Our [team] battle cry all year has been 'All In!' …"

—Kevin Stevens

Its purpose is to find asteroids in orbits that cross the orbit of the Earth. "Find them before they find us!" is the Spacewatch battle cry.

—David H. Levy

Every graduate of Lincoln Elementary School for the past thirty-five years could remember standing at that table listening to Mrs. Granger's battle cry: "Look it up! That's why we have the dictionary."

—Andrew Clements

Examples of battle cry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At his locker, an exasperated seven-foot, 280-pound Goliath let out a battle cry with the series swinging back to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2024

But his method is mostly charging into the fray, shouting battle cries or tossing out Australian drollery. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024

The iconic song is like an unofficial battle cry for pop stars who burst on the scene young, wholesome, and innocent and then get chastised for—gasp—growing up. —Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024

The iconic Bengals battle cry isn't always recognizable to those who don't follow the team. —Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 16 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1