rally

verb (1)

ral·ly | \ ˈra-lē

rallied; rallying

Definition of rally

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to muster for a common purpose

b : to recall to order

2a : 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

noun

plural rallies

Definition of rally (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : 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

rally

verb (2)

rallied; rallying

Definition of rally (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

: to attack with raillery : banter

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about rally

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Examples of rally in a Sentence

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Since Hall abruptly left NBC in February 2017 after losing her 9 a.m. time slot to Megyn Kelly, fans have been rallying for a comeback. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "Get to Know Tamron Hall's Husband Steven Greener Before Their Baby Arrives," 4 Mar. 2019 But, despite their rallying for a good cause, haters online were quick to condemn her decision to leave 3-month-old True at home. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Khloé Kardashian Left True at Home with Tristan and "Mommy Shamers" Had a Lot to Say," 30 July 2018 They were later seen at the Women's March on Washington in 2017 and the March for Our Lives rally for gun control this year. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ivanka Trump Congratulates Karlie Kloss on Her Engagement: "I Feel Blessed To Have You As a Sister"," 25 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 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 Mexican artists and other celeb fans of the team were out in full force on Twitter and Instagram to rally for their team to beat Brazil and go the quarter finals of the World Cup. — Leila Cobo, Billboard, "Mexico's Famous Fans Stay True Before and After Loss to Brazil: See Posts From Alejandro Fernández & More," 2 July 2018 After a rocky start to the second set that saw her down three games to one, Williams rallied for five straigh games and finished by serving for the match. — Nihal Kolur, SI.com, "Serena Williams Advances to Second Round of Wimbledon in Straight Sets," 2 July 2018 While in late 2017 and early 2018, US stocks rallied, the markets have since become rockier, and major indexes have given back their post-tax bill gains. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "What the Republican tax bill did — and didn’t — do, one year later," 18 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The timing of the anniversary rally is sensitive for both sides. — Fares Akram, The Seattle Times, "Gaza officials say Palestinian man killed by Israeli troops," 30 Mar. 2019 On March 8, informative conferences, lively rallies, and powerful art exhibits occur in honor of women. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "Why International Women's Day Is Celebrated on March 8," 28 Feb. 2019 Since then, he's been regularly fundraising and speaking at campaign rallies, shoring up his base. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Presidential Candidates 2020: Here's Who's Running So Far," 25 Jan. 2019 Airbnb used the same reasoning to cancel an undisclosed number of reservations and remove users in advance of last August's Charlottesville rally. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "Airbnb Threatens to Ban 'Unite the Right' Rally Attendees," 10 Aug. 2018 Tens of thousands of bikers from 77 countries are coming here this weekend for the European version of the Labor Day rally Harley has planned for Milwaukee. — Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Harley-Davidson riders say the love of the bike brings them together into one 'worldwide family'," 6 July 2018 Tester planned to spend Thursday listening to farmers' and business owners' concerns about Trump's import tariffs and was expected to be driving back to his farm at the time of Trump's rally, spokeswoman Marnee Banks said. — Catherine Lucey And Matt Volz, chicagotribune.com, "Trump mocks media at Montana rally on same day newsrooms held moment of silence for slain journalists," 5 July 2018 Indeed: There had been a Nazi rally in the capital just days before. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "Meet Selam Fessahaye, the Stylist and Designer Making Change on the Swedish Fashion Scene," 2 Apr. 2019 Stocks of Apple, Micron Technology and other fast-growing companies rose in a broad rally that picked up momentum as the trading day progressed. — David Hodari, WSJ, "U.S. Stocks Finish Higher, Lifted by Tech Sector," 21 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In Asia, the Shanghai Stock Exchange was up 2.4%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rallied 1.1% and Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.2% on hopes for a resurgence in Chinese growth. — Avantika Chilkoti, WSJ, "Global Stocks Gain as Fed Officials Signal Confidence," 16 Apr. 2019 Fans of The View are now rallying behind the two co-hosts, and thanking them for their passionate words. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'The View' Fans Are Fired Up After Meghan McCain and Ana Navarro-Cárdenas's Trump Comments," 22 Mar. 2019 His Riverdale family immediately rallied behind the actor, posting messages of support on social media. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Luke Perry of "Riverdale" Has Passed Away at 52 After a Massive Stroke," 4 Mar. 2019 Many rallied that the NBC show cut the feature altogether. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "'The Voice' Coaches Are Getting Serious Heat for How They're Treating John Legend," 26 Feb. 2019 Diverse students from so many different communities rallied to condemn hate on campus. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Arjun Singh Sethi's American Hate Gave Hate Crime Survivors Like Taylor Dumpson the Chance to Tell Their Own Stories," 11 Dec. 2018 Long a French colony, Guiana rallied behind Charles de Gaulle and Free France during World War II. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "As the SpaceX steamroller surges, European rocket industry vows to resist," 20 July 2018 Shares of housing-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have rallied this year on expectations they could soon be released from government control. — Aaron Back, WSJ, "This Time Probably Isn’t Different for Fannie, Freddie," 1 Apr. 2019 When politics and the economy do their worst, London’s fashion designers have always rallied around self-reliant creativity and individualism. — Sarah Mower, Vogue, "The Brexit Deadline Is Looming—Here’s How It Will Affect London Fashion Week," 14 Feb. 2019

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.

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Statistics for rally

Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for rally

The first known use of rally was in 1599

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More Definitions for rally

rally

noun

Financial Definition of rally

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

noun