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

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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 ”

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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

If these things happen, Hartnett argues a year-end rebound and rally could start after the Thanksgiving holiday.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

The mirror of the Nasdaq Composite Index’s 5.5% decline on Thursday was a classic flight-to-safety rally for Treasurys, pushing down yields to their lowest levels in almost two months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

The eye-watering rally in many companies' valuations had also caused unease on trading floors.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Thomas and Struyven noted that the recent bond-market rally helped to bring the market’s pricing of future hikes closer to the bank’s forecasts.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Who had brought a dog to the climate change rally?

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Mr. Trump’s frequent rallies made him the center of attention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

IBM’s Cohn also offered theories for the hyperscalers’ rallies.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

In a few short hours, all the ads, mailers, signs and rallies will mercifully come to an end.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026

He would hit the ball with more speed, take greater risk and employ more variety in rallies.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Through 1954 and into 1955, rallies were held twice a week, on Wednesday and Sunday evenings.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Klay Thompson made the winning three-pointer with a second left in overtime and the Miami Heat rallied past the reeling Clippers 117-116 on Wednesday night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

In secondary school, he rallied with his classmates to protest against the high prices of canteen lunches on Facebook.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The dollar weakened and gold rallied back above $4,000 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Oil prices saw a steep drop in response, while U.S. benchmark stock indexes rallied on Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

There could be no doubt that Dumbledore’s detailed knowledge of those with whom he was traveling was even less welcome to Voldemort; however, he rallied almost at once.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Stories about actors risking life and limb to succeed became the thematic rallying call at this year’s TIFF.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

This time, however, many investors are already more fully invested in tech names, which means “it’s hard to continue rallying, even if you have good news,” according to Sosnick at Interactive Brokers.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

The sixth-ranked underdogs were still snarling deep into the second half with one thunderous hit from Alev Kelter, hoisting and dumping England captain Meg Jones, rallying her team.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Tech stocks are slumping — even as more than 300 S&P 500 constituents rose Thursday — and Treasurys are rallying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

“It could be somewhere else in the house, though,” said Hermione in a rallying tone as they walked back downstairs: As Harry and Ron had become more discouraged, she seemed to have become more determined.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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