rah-rah

adjective

ˈrä-(ˌ)rä How to pronounce rah-rah (audio)
ˈrȯ-(ˌ)rȯ
: marked by the enthusiastic expression of college spirit
rah-rah cheerleaders

Examples of rah-rah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some movies aren't tied to true events but embody the American spirit nonetheless, like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) in its clear-eyed idealism or Independence Day's (1996) rah-rah patriotism. Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 4 July 2025 Fox’s coverage awkwardly tried to apply its national rah-rah pro-police rubric onto local facts that didn’t support it. Tom Blakely, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025 John Wayne, the hero of so many rah-rah war movies including The Green Berets (1968) handed the 1979 Academy Award for Best Picture to Michael Cimino for his disturbing 1978 treatment of the war in Viet Nam, The Deer Hunter. Alex Vernon may 27, Literary Hub, 27 May 2025 The spectacle offered a rah-rah turning-of-the-page on last year’s graduation controversy at USC. Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025 The problem with all of this is that the excessive rah-rah is a mask for diminishment. Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025 Larger public schools in the state, like the University of South Carolina and Clemson, have big rah-rah energy and are fearsome competitors. Ron Lieber, New York Times, 1 May 2025 But Disney, realizing the funk that theatrical was in post-Covid and post-strikes, stepped it up immensely last year and kept the rah-rah for motion pictures going this year. Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025 Scott is magnificent in the role, but this is no simple rah-rah portrait of a true American hero. Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

reduplication of rah

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rah-rah was in 1896

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rah-rah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rah-rah. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

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