rally

¹ American  

[ral-ee] / ˈræl i /

verb (used with object)

rallied, rallying

1. to bring into order again; gather and organize or inspire anew.

   The general rallied his scattered army.

   Synonyms:

   muster

2. to draw or call (persons) together for a common action or effort.

   He rallied his friends to help him.

   Synonyms:

   unite, join, group, assemble

3. to concentrate or revive, as one's strength, spirits, etc..

   They rallied their energies for the counterattack.

   Synonyms:

   reanimate

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verb (used without object)

rallied, rallying

1. to come together for common action or effort.

   The disunited party rallied in time for the election campaign.

   Synonyms:

   cooperate, collaborate, ally

2. to come together or into order again.

   The captain ordered his small force to rally at the next stream.

   Synonyms:

   revive, recuperate, recover, rebound, improve, reorganize, re-form, regroup

3. to come to the assistance of a person, party, or cause (often followed by to oraround ).

   to rally around a political candidate.

4. to recover partially from illness.

   He spent a bad night but began to rally by morning.

5. to find renewed strength or vigor.

   The runner seemed to be rallying for a final sprint.

6. Finance.

   1. (of securities) to rise sharply in price after a drop.

   2. (of the persons forming a stock market) to begin to trade with increased activity after a slow period.

7. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) to engage in a rally.

8. to participate in a long-distance automobile race.

9. Baseball. (of a team) to score one or more runs in one inning.

noun

• rallies
  plural

1. a recovery from dispersion or disorder, as of troops.

2. a renewal or recovery of strength, activity, etc.

3. a partial recovery of strength during illness.

4. a drawing or coming together of persons, as for common action, as in a mass meeting.

   A political rally that brought together hundreds of the faithful.

5. a get-together of hobbyists or other like-minded enthusiasts, primarily to meet and socialize.

6. Finance. a sharp rise in price or active trading after a declining market.

7. (in tennis, badminton, etc.)

   1. an exchange of strokes between players before a point is scored.

   2. the hitting of the ball back and forth prior to the start of a match.

8. Boxing. an exchange of blows.

9. Baseball. the scoring of one or more runs in one inning.

10. British Theater. a quickening of pace for heightening the dramatic effect in a scene or act.

11. Shipbuilding. a series of blows with battering rams, made in order to drive wedges under a hull to raise it prior to launching.

12. Also rallye a long-distance automobile race, especially for sports cars, held over public roads unfamiliar to the drivers, with numerous checkpoints along the route.

rally ² American  

[ral-ee] / ˈræl i /

verb (used with object)

rallied, rallying

1. Rare. to ridicule in a good-natured way; banter.

   Synonyms:

   twit, tease, chaff

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rally ¹ British  

/ ˈrælɪ /

verb

1. to bring (a group, unit, etc) into order, as after dispersal, or (of such a group) to reform and come to order

   the troops rallied for a final assault

2. to organize (supporters, etc) for a common cause or (of such people) to come together for a purpose

3. to summon up (one's strength, spirits, etc) or (of a person's health, strength, or spirits) to revive or recover

4. (intr) stock exchange to increase sharply after a decline

   steels rallied after a bad day

5. (intr) tennis squash badminton to engage in a rally

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noun

1. a large gathering of people for a common purpose, esp for some political cause

   the Nuremberg Rallies

2. a marked recovery of strength or spirits, as during illness

3. a return to order after dispersal or rout, as of troops, etc

4. stock exchange a sharp increase in price or trading activity after a decline

5. tennis squash badminton an exchange of several shots before one player wins the point

6. a type of motoring competition over public and closed roads

rally ² British  

/ ˈrælɪ /

verb

1. to mock or ridicule (someone) in a good-natured way; chaff; tease

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rallier
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rallies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rally¹

First recorded in 1585–95; from French verb rallier, Old French, equivalent to r(e)- re- + allier “to join”; see ally

Origin of rally²

First recorded in 1660–70; from French railler “to rail ² ”

Explanation

Use the verb rally to describe that last push to finish a difficult something. When you hit that last mile in the race and are so tired you want to quit, that's when you rally, finding the strength to pick up the pace. The verb rally is often used to describe a physical effort that has been renewed, but it can describe anything that involves bouncing back from a setback. For example, if something makes you feel disappointed, you rally to get your positive attitude back. Rally can also describe bringing people together, often to support a cause. The event itself is also called a rally, like pep rally in which students boost the confidence of their team as it heads into the championship game.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rally rallies rallied rallying

Opposition leaders and journalists accused police of heavy-handed tactics during weekend demonstrations, as authorities locked down New Delhi on Monday ahead of a fresh rally against the election chief.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

McDaniel is not only trying to rally his troops, but he’s also working to maximize his makeshift offensive line’s strengths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

About 300 gathered for a rally in Caernarfon to highlight their opposition.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

The probability of an October hike has fallen to below 20%, and bitcoin could be in for another rally as a result, cryptocurrency research outlet Coin Bureau’s Nic Puckrin wrote in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

“It’s an adventure?” she said, trying to rally herself.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

I’d expected a similar spectacle at the theme park, or at least the charismatic witness of Bakker and his wife, Tammy Faye, whom I’d seen on television at political rallies and telethons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

AI stocks drop as investors lock in some profit ahead of earnings season while UnitedHealth rallies following strong third-quarter earnings.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

The findings are being released as the industry rallies for a new federal film and TV tax incentive bill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The rallies were “absolutely phenomenal, better than ever,” he insisted.

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

“That’s when you started organizing those rallies, wasn’t it?”

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Politicians and public opinion rallied to the cause in the 2010s partly due to fierce campaigning by families and former inmates.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Quarterback Lincoln Jahn rallied visiting Inglewood from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to hand Palos Verdes its first defeat, 26-23, on Friday in a likely Bay League title decider.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Survivors, students and advocates rallied and protested in communities and on college campuses across more than 40 states.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

There was a noticeable switch in stock-market action on Thursday, when many AI-associated shares fell but recently struggling equities, notably the banks, rallied.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

He rallied the jockeys around him, and each week the riders streamed across the street to the golf club.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

With a new agreement on fossil fuels unlikely, Turkey is rallying support for a voluntary "electrification" pledge it says could cut heat-trapping emissions and reduce reliance on energy imports.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

After rallying almost seven-fold this year, Citi is now advising clients it’s time to get out of Moderna.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

After rallying briefly, the Rams could not hold off the Broncos in a 30-26 defeat in front of 76,633 at Empower Field at Mile High.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

After he was taken off the tour on 14 September, Macklemore accused stadium owners of rallying together to push him out.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

"Let's go, y'all," I said, scurrying and rallying Cotton and Maddy, taking my bag back from her.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds