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

On May 13, 2011 — 15 years ago to this day — the popular DC show concluded with a fist-pumping final scene where Clark rips open his shirt to display the iconic Superman logo while John Williams' unmistakable score rings like a battle cry. —Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 13 May 2026

The battle cry is sounded; the mongooses face off shoulder to shoulder. —Big Think, 8 May 2026

That was our battle cry all year. —Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 27 Feb. 2026

But Avery quickly became the battle cry for the company. —Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for battle cry

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi