rally

1 of 3

verb (1)

ral·​ly ˈra-lē 

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

rally

2 of 3

noun

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 rally entry 1] : 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

3 of 3

verb (2)

rallied; rallying

transitive verb

: to attack with raillery : banter

Synonyms of rally

Verb (1)

• organize
• mobilize
• order
• summon
• muster

Verb (2)

• tease
• kid
• joke

Examples of rally in a Sentence

Verb (1)

rallied the Red Cross workers to deal with the devastating earthquake

despite the best care that medicine could provide, the elderly woman never really rallied from her fractured hip

after wavering a moment on the balance beam, she quickly rallied and finished with a fine dismount

Noun

Supporters held a rally for the candidate.

Protesters staged an antiwar rally.

Stock prices are up after the dollar's rally yesterday.

Verb (2)

his friends rallied him for missing an easy putt

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But the prospect of a multiweek campaign and rising casualties is forcing a reckoning inside the MAGA coalition, many of whom rallied behind his 2016 promise to avoid prolonged Middle East wars and nation-building efforts overseas. —Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 3 Mar. 2026

Although public opinion usually rallies behind a president during wartime, Trump’s failure to seek consensus about a new battle in the Middle East has left early opinion sharply divided. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026

Noun

Elaine Godfrey’s ground-level look at the race for the Atlantic, beginning with her exile from a Crockett rally, gets deeper into the Democratic voter mindset. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026

This is what disclosure looks like in 2026 — part revival meeting, part Comic-Con, part political rally. —Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

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

Verb (2)

French railler to mock, rally — more at rail

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1668, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rally

• counter-rally
• pep rally
• rally against
• rally around
• rally for/behind
• rally round
• rally the troops
• youth rally

Rhymes for rally

• alley
• alli
• bally
• calli
• challis
• dally
• galley
• galli
• lally
• mallee
• mally
• salley

Kids Definition

rally

1 of 3 verb

ral·​ly ˈral-ē 

rallied; rallying

1

a

: to bring or come together for a common purpose

rallied to the cause

b

: to bring back to order

rallied the retreating troops

2

: to rouse from low spirits or weakness

the patient rallied

3

: to make a comeback

the team rallied in the fourth quarter

stock prices rallied at the close of trading

rally

2 of 3 noun

plural rallies

1

: the action of rallying

2

: a big meeting intended to arouse enthusiasm

3

: a series of shots hit back and forth between players (as in tennis) before a point is won

rally

3 of 3 verb

rallied; rallying

: to tease in a good-natured way

Etymology

Verb

from French rallier "to call or come together for a common purpose," from early French ralier (same meaning), from re- "again, back" and alier "to unite"

Verb

from French railler "to mock, tease," from early French railler (same meaning) — related to rail entry 4