sally

[ sal-ee ]

/ ˈsæl i /

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.

Words nearby sally

sallenders, sallet, sallow, sallowy, sallust, sally, sally army, sally lunn, sally port, sallyport, salmagundi

Origin of sally

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

SYNONYMS FOR sally

5 quip, witticism.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sally ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM sally

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for sallied

Leaving the Captain and the veteran as temporary guards, he sallied forth, followed by the lawyer and the two parsons.
Two Knapsacks|John Campbell
Had the Egyptians sallied forth to smite, scarce a sword would have flashed, so dear seemed martyrdom.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
As soon as it was really dark we all sallied forth, accompanied by guides this time, who were to show us the trenches.
Bullets & Billets|Bruce Bairnsfather
The next day on arriving in town he put up at the Charing Cross Hotel and then sallied out to see his friends.
By Sheer Pluck|G. A. Henty

Lockhart nodded his assent to the boast, and after cautioning the men who were left behind we sallied forth.
Blindfolded|Earle Ashley Walcott

British Dictionary definitions for sallied (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 sallied (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 sallied (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

noun, plural sal·lies.

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

Words related to sally

Words nearby sally

Origin of sally

SYNONYMS FOR sally

OTHER WORDS FROM sally

Examples from the Web for sallied

British Dictionary definitions for sallied (1 of 3)

noun plural -lies

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

Derived forms of sally

Word Origin for sally

British Dictionary definitions for sallied (2 of 3)

noun plural -lies

Word Origin for sally

British Dictionary definitions for sallied (3 of 3)

noun plural -lies