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

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

Before the huddle broke, someone shouted AV and then someone else shouted 24 and the girls went back and forth several times, making the chant their battle cry. —Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2024

With the library program in jeopardy, the California State Parks Foundation, a large advocacy group, has raised a battle cry to try to save it, writing to legislative leaders and posting a petition that’s garnered 1,800 signatures. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024

Their chant was a kind of battle cry for Greater Israel, seeming to suggest that Kissinger—a German-Jewish refugee who chose America and assimilation, and made the most of both—could not possibly fathom their toughness or messianic grandeur. —Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024

President Biden is stepping up his battle cry for 2024. —CBS News, 10 Dec. 2023

Rebel Yell, a brand that launched in the 1960s in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, took its name from the Confederate battle cry and was marketed only in Southern states. —Emily Bingham, Travel + Leisure, 23 Oct. 2023

Lawmakers from both parties — in a Congress where pro-Israel political action committees have long ranked among the biggest political donors — have echoed Jerusalem’s battle cries for revenge. —Liz Goodwin, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2023

Raw, rude, and a rejection of everything rock ‘n’ roll, Never Mind the Bollocks became the battle cry of U.K. Punk. —John G. Singer, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1