sally

[ sal-ee ]

/ ˈsæl i /

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See synonyms for sally on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural sal·lies.

a sortie of troops from a besieged place upon an enemy.

a sudden rushing forth or activity.

an excursion or trip, usually off the main course.

an outburst or flight of passion, fancy, etc.: a sally of anger.

a clever, witty, or fanciful remark.

Carpentry. a projection, as of the end of a rafter beyond the notch by which the rafter is fitted over the wall plate.

verb (used without object), sal·lied, sal·ly·ing.

to make a sally, as a body of troops from a besieged place.

to set out on a side trip or excursion.

to set out briskly or energetically.

(of things) to issue forth.

OTHER WORDS FOR sally

5 quip, witticism.

See synonyms for sally on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sally

1535–45; <Middle French saillie attack, noun use of feminine past participle of saillir to rush forward <Latin salīre to leap

OTHER WORDS FROM sally

sal·li·er, nounoutsally, verb (used with object), out·sal·lied, out·sal·ly·ing.un·sal·ly·ing, adjective

Other definitions for sally (2 of 2)

Sally

or Sal·lie

[ sal-ee ]

/ ˈsæl i /

noun

a female given name, form of Sarah.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sally in a sentence

She remembers how much, as a girl, she loved her friend Sally, and how exciting it was when they kissed.
‘Mrs. Dalloway’ offers hope for our modern, COVID world|Kathi Wolfe|January 20, 2021|Washington Blade
I’m not somebody’s Mom, so don’t come to me with “I am not getting along with Joe or Sally.”
Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford on Racism in Minneapolis, COVID-19's Impact on Farmers and the Need for Rural Wi-Fi|Eben Shapiro|June 21, 2020|Time
Mostly, if students are exposed to data, it is only because of enterprising teachers like Sally.
America’s Math Curriculum Doesn’t Add Up (Ep. 391)|Steven D. Levitt|October 3, 2019|Freakonomics
Ruth found Mr Bellingham was not yet come down; so she sallied out for an additional half-hour's ramble.
Ruth|Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

The idea was eagerly adopted, and the whole party sallied forth together into the brilliant night.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
We ordered an early dinner, and sallied forth to see the town.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
But too often the rascals fell to plunder, and reluctantly Richard sallied forth; slew some, and hanged others for a warning.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
In a few days he felt quite recovered from his fatigue, and sallied forth in search of employment.
Newton Forster|Captain Frederick Marryat

British Dictionary definitions for sally (1 of 3)

sally¹

/ (ˈsælɪ) /

noun plural -lies

a sudden violent excursion, esp by besieged forces to attack the besiegers; sortie

a sudden outburst or emergence into action, expression, or emotion

an excursion or jaunt

a jocular retort

verb -lies, -lying or -lied (intr)

to make a sudden violent excursion

(often foll by forth) to go out on an expedition, etc

to come, go, or set out in an energetic manner

to rush out suddenly

Derived forms of sally

sallier, noun

Word Origin for sally

C16: from Old French saillie, from saillir to dash forwards, from Latin salīre to leap

British Dictionary definitions for sally (2 of 3)

sally²

/ (ˈsælɪ) /

noun plural -lies

the lower part of a bell rope, where it is caught at handstroke, into which coloured wool is woven to make a grip

Word Origin for sally

C19: perhaps from an obsolete or dialect sense of sally 1 leaping movement

British Dictionary definitions for sally (3 of 3)

Sally

/ (ˈsælɪ) /

noun plural -lies

a member of the Salvation Army

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sally

OTHER WORDS FOR sally

Origin of sally

OTHER WORDS FROM sally

Other definitions for sally (2 of 2)

or Sal·lie

Words related to sally

How to use sally in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sally (1 of 3)

Derived forms of sally

Word Origin for sally

British Dictionary definitions for sally (2 of 3)

Word Origin for sally

British Dictionary definitions for sally (3 of 3)