rally

1 of 3

verb (1)

ral·​ly ˈra-lē 

rallied; rallying

transitive verb

1

a

: to muster for a common purpose

b

: to recall to order

2

a

: to arouse for action

b

: to rouse from depression or weakness

intransitive verb

1

: to come together again to renew an effort

2

: to join in a common cause

3

: recover, rebound

rallied briefly from his illness

4

: to engage in a rally

rally

2 of 3

noun

plural rallies

1

a

: a mustering of scattered forces to renew an effort

b

: a summoning up of strength or courage after weakness or dejection

c

: a recovery of price after a decline

d

: a renewed offensive

2

: a mass meeting intended to arouse group enthusiasm

3

: a series of shots interchanged between players (as in tennis) before a point is won

4

or less commonly rallye [French rallye, from English rally entry 1] : an automobile competition using public roads and ordinary traffic rules with the object of maintaining a specified average speed between checkpoints over a route unknown to the participants until the start of the event

rally

3 of 3

verb (2)

rallied; rallying

transitive verb

: to attack with raillery : banter

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• marshal
• marshall
• mobilize
• muster

Verb (2)

• chaff
• jive
• joke
• josh
• kid
• razz
• rib
• ride
• roast
• tease

Examples of rally in a Sentence

Verb (1)

rallied the Red Cross workers to deal with the devastating earthquake

despite the best care that medicine could provide, the elderly woman never really rallied from her fractured hip

after wavering a moment on the balance beam, she quickly rallied and finished with a fine dismount

Noun

Supporters held a rally for the candidate.

Protesters staged an antiwar rally.

Stock prices are up after the dollar's rally yesterday.

Verb (2)

his friends rallied him for missing an easy putt

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The Packers rallied without their franchise quarterback, though, and defeated the Jaguars, 30-27. —Rob Reischel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

The national focus on the race was evident on a recent weekend, with Johnson headlining a $250-per-person fundraiser for McGraw in Peoria and California Rep. Pete Aguilar, the No. 3 Democrat in the House, rallying door-knocking volunteers with Sorensen in Peoria Heights. —Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2024

Noun

Harris also is planning an event on Tuesday at the Ellipse near the White House in Washington D.C., site of the Trump rally that preceded the insurrection of January 6th, 2021. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024

Inside the Democrats’ rally at the Frederick Douglass Family Center, volunteers abounded with clipboards holding large QR codes that lead to volunteer signups. —Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

French rallier, from Old French ralier, from re- + alier to unite — more at ally

Verb (2)

French railler to mock, rally — more at rail

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1668, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rally

• counter-rally
• pep rally
• rally against
• rally around
• rally for/behind
• rally round
• rally the troops
• youth rally

Kids Definition

rally

1 of 3 verb

ral·​ly ˈral-ē 

rallied; rallying

1

a

: to bring or come together for a common purpose

rallied to the cause

b

: to bring back to order

rallied the retreating troops

2

: to rouse from low spirits or weakness

the patient rallied

3

: to make a comeback

the team rallied in the fourth quarter

stock prices rallied at the close of trading

rally

2 of 3 noun

plural rallies

1

: the action of rallying

2

: a big meeting intended to arouse enthusiasm

3

: a series of shots hit back and forth between players (as in tennis) before a point is won

rally

3 of 3 verb

rallied; rallying

: to tease in a good-natured way

Etymology

Verb

from French rallier "to call or come together for a common purpose," from early French ralier (same meaning), from re- "again, back" and alier "to unite"

Verb

from French railler "to mock, tease," from early French railler (same meaning) — related to rail entry 4