rally

verb ral·ly \ ˈra-lē \

Updated on: 13 Oct 2017

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

What to watch: The Raiders, ranked ninth in 6A in the AP poll, survived an early gut-check moment last week, rallying from 21 points down in the third quarter to defeat Henry Clay in overtime, 34-28.

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "What games to watch in Northern Kentucky, week 2," 29 Aug. 2017
Johnson rallied from a five-shot deficit on the front nine.

— doug ferguson, chicagotribune.com, "Dustin Johnson pulls off a stunner over Jordan Spieth in Northern Trust," 27 Aug. 2017
In the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women who took to the streets to rally in support of the clerics embraced the chador.

— Washington Post, "Chador in, hijab out: Iran VP’s wardrobe draws criticism," 26 Aug. 2017
Makenzie had attended two Trump rallies — one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and one in Mississippi.

— gina ryder, Teen Vogue, "5 First-Time Voters on Who They Voted For," 24 Aug. 2017
Down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, Hughes rallied for two scores before halftime, then added 28 points in the second half.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Hughes Big Red football small but mighty," 24 Aug. 2017
After blowing a 4-3 lead in the seventh, the Mariners rallied against Jim Johnson (6-3) in the eighth.

— charles odum, The Seattle Times, "Robinson Cano leaves with injury as Mariners win 9-6," 23 Aug. 2017
The reverence of men who, like Ricks would not yield, was not merely a preservation of heritage, but a real-life rallying cry for the ongoing defense of white hegemony and for massive resistance against anything challenging that hegemony.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "Growing Up in the Shadow of the Confederacy," 22 Aug. 2017
The benchmark S&P 500 Index rallied as much as 0.4 percent, rebounding from its second-biggest drop of 2017, touching its daily high point after the New York Times confirmed Bannon’s departure.

— joshua green, Bloomberg.com, "Bannon Says He’s ‘Going to War for Trump’ After White House Exit," 18 Aug. 2017

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

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

Louisville's is one of 59 planned events in 30 states, plus a D.C. rally, march and vigil to the White House.

— beth warren, The Courier-Journal, "The mother of a Louisville overdose victim fights the 'heroin wars' in her own way," 29 Aug. 2017
Through the efforts to identify white supremacists, some were falsely accused for being a part of the rally.

— steve beynon, Cincinnati.com, "Ex-Mason student charged in Charlottesville beating to stay in Hamilton County for now," 29 Aug. 2017
Similar rallies were held in San Francisco and Berkeley over the weekend.

— lyndsay winkley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hundreds march through San Diego streets against hate," 27 Aug. 2017
The 2017 Illinois Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31 will be marked with an opium awareness and suicide prevention public forum at the Homer Public Library and a rally with the National Safety Council.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "Overdose Awareness Day is Aug. 31," 24 Aug. 2017
Garrett Copeland fueled the winning rally with an leadoff double.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "IronBirds snap streak, edge Staten Island, 4-3," 24 Aug. 2017
The end of Hughes’ poem calls to mind the swastikas and Confederate flags that were prominently displayed in Charlottesville and at other white supremacist rallies.

— matthew delmont, Smithsonian, "Why African-American Soldiers Saw World War II as a Two-Front Battle," 24 Aug. 2017
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Republican senators John McCain and Jeff Flake did not attend the rally.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "Who Didn't Trump Attack In That Outrageous, Delusional Campaign Rally In Arizona?," 23 Aug. 2017
Democratic leaders and other Trump opponents plan protests and marches outside the rally to decry his immigration policies and his comments about Charlottesville.

— julie bykowicz, chicagotribune.com, "Questions on immigration, race follow President Trump to Arizona," 22 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of rally

1646

rally Synonyms

Synonyms

marshaling (also marshalling), mobilization, rallying, call to arms

Related Words

call, call-up, summons; convening, convocation, muster, mustering

Near Antonyms

decline, degeneration, deterioration, fading, failing, languishing, sinking, wasting (away), weakening, wilting, withering, worsening; regression, relapse

rally

verb

Definition of rally

rallied; rallying

transitive verb

:to attack with raillery :banter

Recent Examples of rally from the Web

What to watch: The Raiders, ranked ninth in 6A in the AP poll, survived an early gut-check moment last week, rallying from 21 points down in the third quarter to defeat Henry Clay in overtime, 34-28.

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "What games to watch in Northern Kentucky, week 2," 29 Aug. 2017
Johnson rallied from a five-shot deficit on the front nine.

— doug ferguson, chicagotribune.com, "Dustin Johnson pulls off a stunner over Jordan Spieth in Northern Trust," 27 Aug. 2017
In the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women who took to the streets to rally in support of the clerics embraced the chador.

— Washington Post, "Chador in, hijab out: Iran VP’s wardrobe draws criticism," 26 Aug. 2017
Makenzie had attended two Trump rallies — one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and one in Mississippi.

— gina ryder, Teen Vogue, "5 First-Time Voters on Who They Voted For," 24 Aug. 2017
Down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, Hughes rallied for two scores before halftime, then added 28 points in the second half.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Hughes Big Red football small but mighty," 24 Aug. 2017
After blowing a 4-3 lead in the seventh, the Mariners rallied against Jim Johnson (6-3) in the eighth.

— charles odum, The Seattle Times, "Robinson Cano leaves with injury as Mariners win 9-6," 23 Aug. 2017
The reverence of men who, like Ricks would not yield, was not merely a preservation of heritage, but a real-life rallying cry for the ongoing defense of white hegemony and for massive resistance against anything challenging that hegemony.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "Growing Up in the Shadow of the Confederacy," 22 Aug. 2017
The benchmark S&P 500 Index rallied as much as 0.4 percent, rebounding from its second-biggest drop of 2017, touching its daily high point after the New York Times confirmed Bannon’s departure.

— joshua green, Bloomberg.com, "Bannon Says He’s ‘Going to War for Trump’ After White House Exit," 18 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of rally

French railler to mock, rally — more at rail

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1668

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

RALLY Defined for Kids

rally

verb ral·ly \ ˈra-lē \

Definition of rally for Students

rallied; rallying

1 :to bring or come together for a common purpose Supporters rallied at the capitol building.

2 :to publicly support or oppose

The whole school rallied behind the principal.

3 :to rouse from low spirits or weakness

The patient rallied and survived.

The team rallied to win the game.

rally

noun

Definition of rally for Students

plural rallies

1 :a sudden improvement in performance or condition

The team's late rally helped them win.

2 :a big meeting held to rouse enthusiasm

Learn More about rally

See words that rhyme with rally Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rally Spanish Central: Translation of rally Nglish: Translation of rally for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rally for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rally

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rally

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rally

Definition of rally

Recent Examples of rally from the Web

Origin and Etymology of rally

Financial Definition of RALLY

What It Is

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Why It Matters

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RALLY Defined for English Language Learners

rally

Definition of rally for English Language Learners

RALLY Defined for Kids

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