war cry

American  

noun

1. a cry, word, phrase, etc., shouted in charging or in rallying to attack; battle cry.

2. a slogan, phrase, or motto used to unite a political party, rally support for a cause, etc.

---

war cry British  

noun

1. a rallying cry used by combatants in battle

2. a cry, slogan, etc, used to rally support for a cause

---

Etymology

Origin of war cry

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

Local resident Aileen Firth, a human resources officer, said: "Every weekend when you come down the street you will hear the war cry 'there's no money'."

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025

I didn’t realize, but there’s a law that says that each of these Elphaba’s figure out their war cry.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2024

His war cry of “Let’s go!” in Spanish draws motivation for Alcaraz when he faces difficulty, and revs up his fans.

From Washington Times • Apr. 28, 2023

Over recent decades it has become a kind of war cry for both the military and those who defend them.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2023

When I was a kid I read these books, the Redwall books, fantasy books about a bunch of warrior mice, and the mice had this war cry that I always thought was cool: “Eulalia.”

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini