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
Geoffrey Hughes2
: 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
Mick ClearyUltimately, 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
Frank LuntzBoth campaigns have seized on the attempt to ban that book in schools as a rallying cry.—Edward Keenan
Edward KeenanThe 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
Ligaya MishanExamples 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
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
More significantly, his speech became an unexpected rallying cry for Democrats seeking to reinvigorate opposition to the President’s policies ahead of the next election cycle.
—Nik Popli, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
Moye recalled Stone’s steadfast advocacy years before #OscarsSoWhite became a rallying cry.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rallying cry
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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
More significantly, his speech became an unexpected rallying cry for Democrats seeking to reinvigorate opposition to the President’s policies ahead of the next election cycle.
—Nik Popli, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
Moye recalled Stone’s steadfast advocacy years before #OscarsSoWhite became a rallying cry.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rallying cry
Cite this Entry
“Rallying cry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rallying%20cry. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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