rallying cry

noun

plural rallying cries

1

: a shouted word, phrase, or sound used by a body of fighters before or in battle : battle cry, war cry

… the innocent ejaculation hurrah! became a fearsome rallying cry in Napoleonic times.

—Geoffrey Hughes

2

: something (such as a catchphrase, incident, or event) that is used to excite people to support a cause or to rouse people to action

Lions captain Sam Warburton issued a rallying cry to his team yesterday … by urging them to "reach for the stars".

—Mick Cleary

Ultimately, just 6 per cent of people would tell businesses to "keep doing what you're doing". If these findings do not act as a rallying cry for change, it is unclear what will.

—Frank Luntz

Both campaigns have seized on the attempt to ban that book in schools as a rallying cry.

—Edward Keenan

The much-despised gabelle, a tax first imposed on salt in France in the 13th century and at times soaring to 10 times the cost of producing salt in the first place, became a rallying cry for the French Revolution …

—Ligaya Mishan

Examples of rallying cry in a Sentence

the rallying cry of a political movement

“We believe!” became the rallying cry of the fans.

Recent Examples on the Web

That became something of a Warren rallying cry as her Senate career progressed. —John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Trump’s administration had maligned so many communities, creating a coherent rallying cry seemed impossible. —Bennet Goldstein, jsonline.com, 4 July 2025

Mario Tama / Getty Images This rallying cry is alluring for many of the 4 million Iranian exiles and expats worldwide, just under a third of whom live in the U.S., according to Iranian Foreign Ministry statistics from 2021. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 June 2025

Wimberley Strong stickers and flags became a common sight and silent rallying cries around town. —Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 15 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for rallying cry

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