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

Examples of rallying point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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What was meant as playful confidence quickly became a rallying point for his critics. Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025 Maybe that’s the rallying point. Matt Gelb, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025 The event, hosted by the North Carolina Faith & Freedom Coalition, doubled as a rallying point for conservative Christians. Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2025 The over five-hour program doubled as a rallying point for political activism, as 500 volunteers with the organization’s political arm fanned out along the security lines with clipboards and registration forms, determined to turn mourning into mobilization. Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2025 While the Dirksen courthouse is often a visible rallying point for protesters, anyone arrested is unlikely to be processed in the building unless they are accused of assaulting a federal official or damaging federal property. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025 In 1765, a tree planted in colonial Boston became a rallying point for the Sons of Liberty, who protested British rule by hanging effigies of officers from its branches and giving speeches. Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025 The embargo has become a rallying point, uniting policy, capital, and talent behind the goal of technological independence. Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 These groups have often been at odds, but the cause of Palestine has served as a rallying point and a source of legitimacy in the wider Muslim world. Ami Ayalon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rallying point was in 1774

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Cite this Entry

“Rallying point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rallying%20point. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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