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

An early rally in oil prices and gains in yields of U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

That message was hammered home Saturday for dozens of voting rights groups, community organizations and unions attending a rally to recruit and train poll watchers for the November election.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Following the march, a rally in Castle Gardens featured speeches, including from the fiest minister, as well as Yes Cymru's chairman Rob Hughes and Elwyn Vaughan, Plaid Cymru MS for Gwynedd Maldwyn.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The dollar’s rally has also caught many on Wall Street off-guard.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

At dawn that day, Jefferson had tried to rally Virginia’s militia to action.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

She found Georgia-based print shops to make pink “Senator My Boo” buttons and has been working with local Democratic activists and volunteers to distribute them at Ossoff’s rallies, including one he held Sunday in Athens.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

Those were the kinds of stifling rallies that had defined the Dodgers’ offense earlier in the season, when they were scoring regularly in double digits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

"Those rallies of big punches, combinations and that's how she finished her last fight."

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Many of the same traders who fueled crypto’s past rallies are now spending more time and money on event-based contracts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

At great Muslim rallies since then I have seen, and heard, and felt ten thousand black people applauding and cheering.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

USC delivered a late hit that knocked Oregon quarterback Dante Moore out of the game early, but the Ducks rallied for a 41-27 road win Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

But it’s a far better analogy for how viewers rallied behind the show, making Hansen and his questionable methods a sensation that could be replicated after their mutual cancellation.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

The Rebels rallied their boosters to find enough money to keep its most important players, such as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, who could practically name their price in the transfer portal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The love shown by a community who rallied to search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods was a "thread of positivity" amongst the tragedy, a reverend has said.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Coloured people rallied against the Separate Representation of Voters Act, organizing a tremendous demonstration in Cape Town in March of 1951 and a strike in April that kept shops closed and schoolchildren at home.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

Equities were also positive in Europe, with banks and technology stocks rallying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Dodgers should sit Raman in their dugout come playoff time, because her knack for rallying from behind is almost preternatural.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Don’t miss: Tesla’s stock is rallying as investors prepare for a ‘storm of Cybercabs’

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Her words became a rallying call for the suffrage movement.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling