rallying point

noun

plural rallying points

: someone or something that makes people join together to support a person, cause, etc. or that rouses people to action

In the wake of his resignation, Benedict has become a rallying point for conservatives who have opposed Pope Francis.

—Chris Stevenson

… Peter Singer, whose 1975 book Animal Liberation was a rallying point for critics of livestock farming and animal research.

—Julian Koplin

A poem titled "A Record of History" opens with the death of Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan who was punished for trying to alert others about the dangers of the coronavirus. His death became a rallying point for freedom of speech and transparency.

—Lily Kuo

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above