rally

verb ral·ly \ ˈra-lē \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Examples: rally in a Sentence

Definition of rally

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

Recent Examples of rally from the Web

Croatia conceded the opening goal in each game before rallying to advance.

— graham dunbar, courant.com, "A Youthful France Faces Veteran-Laden Croatia For World Cup," 14 July 2018
After defeating a team from Nebraska in two sets (25-12, 25-12), OTVA held off an opponent from Illinois (25-19, 25-22) in its closest match of the tournament before rallying for a win in three sets (25-16, 22-25, 16-14) against a team from Idaho.

— j.c. carnahan, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando Tampa Volleyball Academy 16 South team rallies to avoid upset," 27 June 2018
In April, Kaneland trailed the Broncos 10-1 before rallying to win 11-10 and start a 16-game winning streak that was snapped in the title game.

— rick armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Knockout punch: Kaneland puts Montini ‘on the ropes’ before losing in state championship game," 9 June 2018
The Phillies headed to San Francisco on Thursday night with some energy after rallying to take the series finale at Dodger Stadium.

— matt breen, Philly.com, "Maikel Franco's Hollywood performance | Extra Innings," 1 June 2018
Carmel’s Lauren Lemonds, the defending state champion, battled the Mustangs’ sophomore sensation for more than two hours before rallying from behind in both sets to beat Tallamraju 7-6 (8-6), 7-5.

— john o'malley, Post-Tribune, "Better days ahead: Shalini Tallamraju and Munster lose to Carmel in the semistate, but keep eyes on the future," 26 May 2018
Charger, a Native American teen, made headlines after rallying young people around the Dakota access pipeline protests at Standing Rock, North Dakota.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Watch These 4 Uplifting Documentaries About Women Changing Their Communities," 24 May 2018
An art and action festival to rally support for flipping control of Congress.

— SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area political events: Resistance training, lawmakers meet with public," 13 July 2018
Amid the upheaval, former foes are calling for unity by trying to rally the public around defiance to the West.

— sune engel rasmussen, WSJ, "Facing Threats at Home and Abroad, Iran’s President Takes a Harder Line," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rally.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rally

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

rally

noun

Definition of rally

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 ¹rally]

: 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

See rally defined for English-language learners

Examples of rally in a Sentence

Supporters held a rally for the candidate.
Protesters staged an antiwar rally.
Stock prices are up after the dollar's rally yesterday.

Recent Examples of rally from the Web

The Burbank Junior All-Stars baseball team was in the midst of a rally and staging a comeback against Santa Anita late into the evening Monday in the semifinals of the Section 2 Tournament.

— jeff tully, latimes.com, "Burbank Junior All-Stars earn title shot after thrilling comeback," 11 July 2018
He was ridiculed last month after bragging on Twitter that his network didn’t air a Trump rally and helped fuel speculation regarding a recent absence from the public eye by first lady Melania Trump.

— brian flood, Fox News, "CNN star Brian Stelter claims 'Trump is poisoning the American people' with anti-media attacks," 6 July 2018
The council action, on an 8-0 vote with five abstentions, capped a turbulent period at City Hall, where gay activists and fundamentalist Christian groups staged rallies and protests.

— bill turque, kansascity, "Michael D. Bates, KC human rights stalwart, dies at 70," 3 July 2018
Hanson took students to peace rallies and demonstrations, exposed them to social programs for kids in Hartford, talked about women’s liberation and had his students canvass working class neighborhoods in nearby Putnam.

— anne m. hamilton, courant.com, "Extraordinary Life: A Passion For Women's Rights, Social Justice," 1 July 2018
The truce also invigorated a nascent propeace movement among Afghans, who have held marches, rallies, and vigils calling for an end to the violence.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "Afghan president ends truce amid rising Taliban attacks," 30 June 2018
This test can be applied to our chants at rallies and our behavior at restaurants, too.

— john dickerson, CBS News, "Fourth of July is not just a celebration, but an assignment," 29 June 2018
Players are given free reign to explore the United States, which in The Crew 2 is a playground littered with street races, offroad rallies and cigarette boat contests.

— patrick shanley, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Crew 2': Game Review," 27 June 2018
Last summer, Charlottesville, Virginia, became the site of a multi-day white-supremacist march and rally that left one woman, a counter-protester, dead, setting off a wave of emotions and accusations that shook the city and the country.

— alia wong, The Atlantic, "Charlottesville’s Divides Are America’s Divides," 26 June 2018

First Known Use of rally

1646

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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rally Synonyms

rally

verb

Definition of rally

rallied; rallying

transitive verb

: to attack with raillery : banter

Recent Examples of rally from the Web

Meanwhile a labor organizer (Steven Yeun) is rallying the troops at the telemarketing company — and impressing Detroit, who is preparing for her first gallery show.

— bill goodykoontz, azcentral, "Why you need to see surreal 'Sorry to Bother You'," 12 July 2018
And dozens of protesters rallied for his resignation Saturday outside the Statehouse.

— rick callahan, Post-Tribune, "Special prosecutor to aid groping investigation of Indiana attorney general," 11 July 2018
And dozens of protesters rallied for his resignation Saturday outside the Statehouse.

— rick callahan, The Seattle Times, "Special prosecutor to aid investigation of Indiana AG," 10 July 2018
For the record, Mays hit a fourth first-inning homer and led 8-2 after 5½ innings, but Mantle rallied for a 9-8 victory, hitting a walk-off homer in the ninth.

— chris boghossian, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago ties run deep in original 'Home Run Derby,' a short-lived TV show at (the other) Wrigley Field," 13 July 2018
Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal in the 109th minute and Croatia shocked England, rallying for 2-1 victory Wednesday.

— ronald blum, BostonGlobe.com, "Croatia reaches first World Cup final," 11 July 2018
That game was memorable for what happened in the fourth quarter: Favre threw two touchdown passes as the Packers rallied for a 24-23 victory over the Bengals.

— pete grathoff, kansascity, "Patrick Mahomes draws comparison, but how did Brett Favre do in first year as starter?," 9 July 2018
The offense stalled on Sunday after scoring 17 runs on Friday and rallying for a late win on Saturday.

— matt breen, Philly.com, "Phillies fall to Pirates, snap six-game winning streak," 8 July 2018
The economy was in better shape in 2015, and the stock market had rallied for a long time before the crash.

— shen hong, WSJ, "This Year’s Selloff in Chinese Markets Isn’t Like 2015. It Looks Worse.," 6 July 2018

Origin and Etymology of rally

French railler to mock, rally — more at rail

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First Known Use: 1668

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Financial Definition of RALLY

rally

noun

What It Is

A rally is a period of hours, days, weeks, months, or sometimes years during which securities prices consistently rise.

How It Works

Identifying and measuring rallies is both art and science. Of course, different market sectors may experience rallies at different times.

The causes and characteristics of rallies vary, but most financial theorists agree that economic cycles and investor sentiment both play a role in the creation and momentum of rallies. In general, information about a strong or strengthening economy, indicated by high employment, high disposable income, low inflation and high business profits usually ushers in a rally. The existence of several new trading highs for well-known companies also indicates a rally is occurring. It is important to note that government involvement affects rallies: Changing the federal funds rate or tax rates indirectly encourages economic expansion or contraction.

Rising investor confidence also indicates a rally, and it is perhaps more powerful than any economic indicator because when investors believe something is going to happen (a rally, for example), they tend to take action (purchasing shares in order to profit from expected price increases) that actually turn expectations into reality. Although it is an objective concept, investor sentiment shows through in mathematical measurements such as the put/call ratio, the advance/decline line, IPO activity, and the amount of outstanding margin debt.

As investors take profits or react to bad news or negative indicators, rallies generally unravel over time.

Why It Matters

Rallies usually present a multitude of moneymaking opportunities for investors because prices are generally rising across the board. But rallies don’t last forever, and they don’t always give advance notice of their arrival, so the investor must know when to buy and when to sell to maximize his or her profits. This means the investor must attempt to "time the market" or gauge when a rally has begun and when it is ending.

Analysts spend thousands of hours trying to mathematically determine what will trigger the next rally and how long it will last. Technical analysis is especially prevalent in this effort, although less sophisticated indicators such as hemline fashions or the NFL division of the latest Super Bowl winner also provide fodder for such predictions. This in turn can sometimes lead to speculation that a rally is just around the corner, which can then become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Source: Investing Answers

RALLY Defined for English Language Learners

rally

noun

Definition of rally for English Language Learners

: a public meeting to support or oppose someone or something
finance : an increase in price or value after a decrease in price or value
sports : an occurrence in which a team or player that has been behind or playing badly begins to play well