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

"I'm a little scared. I'm a little nervous," said Claire McHugh, a 70-year-old who went to the rally.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

In neighbouring Bangladesh, students gave a call for a "torch rally" on Thursday evening to express their solidarity for protesters in Delhi.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

To put the final touches on the Dodgers’ offensive effort, Kyle Tucker hit a sacrifice fly and Tommy Edman hit a bases-clearing triple for a four-run Dodgers rally in the eighth inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

European equities fell in opening trade as a rally in technology stocks stuttered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

They’re wearing them ’cause today’s a pep rally.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Then volatility begins to lag, as the market generally rallies, or is at least complacent, into July.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

They did the same dance again, this time while blasting “YMCA,” a song frequently played at Trump rallies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

After a week of mass funeral processions, rallies and mourning ceremonies in Iran, the assassinated former supreme leader has been buried.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

The “No Kings” rallies are such an example.

From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2026

The same lunchtime activities and rallies and club meetings still take place.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Jackson, who campaigned heavily with Platner before the scandals, had the support of roughly 75 percent of the volunteers who rallied behind the now-disgraced former Senate candidate.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Los Angeles City Councilmember McOsker, who represents the coastal neighborhood, opposed the project and rallied community members to send letters to elected officials and state decision makers, urging them to review the grant application.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

BlackRock BLK 7.44%increase; green up pointing triangle shares rallied after the investment firm posted bumper quarterly results and made history as the first investment firm to manage more than $15 trillion in assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

PayPal, the struggling payments processor, rallied in premarket trade on Wednesday on a report that rival Stripe is teaming up with private-equity group Advent International on a bid.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Over the winter, they rallied their forces and launched their attack.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

The morning after the address, “Fox & Friends,” the network’s flagship three-hour morning show that typically serves as a rallying ground for administration priorities, pointedly neglected to even cover the speech.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

She described the behaviour as "a rallying cry" before a stressful event, much like a football huddle before a big match.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

European luxury stocks are rallying after Richemont reported better-than-expected sales in the first quarter of its fiscal year, but demand still needs to improve in China for a full recovery, according to Bank of America.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Chip makers also weakened in premarket after rallying Tuesday, with Micron Technology slipping 3.4%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

I paused, rallying my ever-dwindling reserves of courage.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon