rally around

Idioms

Join in a common effort, as in When Mom broke her leg the entire family rallied around to help. This idiom gained currency with George F. Root's famous Civil War song, “The Battle Cry of Freedom,” which urges troops to rally round the flag that goes with them into battle. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

May 1 is a public holiday in many countries to mark International Workers’ Day, or Labor Day, when workers’ unions traditionally rally around wages, pensions, inequality and broader political issues.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Hidalgo, the outgoing mayor who beat Dati in the last election, has called on the left to rally around Gregoire.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

But to rally around Prejean Boller would be a mistake.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

They may want to rally around new leaders who will actually fight for families and freedom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Now the people will rally around their prince even more, for it would appear that he is bound to them by obligations, since their homes were burned and their possessions destroyed in his defence.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023