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

His speech was a call to action more aggressive and comprehensive than perhaps any other by a major liberal figure since Mr. Trump took office, rivaled only by rallying cries from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on their Western tour. —Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

According to some historians, this was an anthem — a musical rallying cry — of the Risorgimento. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 7 Apr. 2025

Longoria saw fit to issue a rallying cry (via renowned rallying cry platform LinkedIn) calling for unity before last weekend’s win over Montpellier. —Tom Williams, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

The recent fires in Los Angeles County should serve as a political rallying cry to accelerate the phaseout of oil and gas. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 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