rally

1
[ ral-ee ]
See synonyms for: rallyralliedrallying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ral·lied, ral·ly·ing.
  1. to bring into order again; gather and organize or inspire anew: The general rallied his scattered army.

  2. to draw or call (persons) together for a common action or effort: He rallied his friends to help him.

  1. to concentrate or revive, as one's strength, spirits, etc.: They rallied their energies for the counterattack.

verb (used without object),ral·lied, ral·ly·ing.
  1. to come together for common action or effort: The disunited party rallied in time for the election campaign.

  2. to come together or into order again: The captain ordered his small force to rally at the next stream.

  1. to come to the assistance of a person, party, or cause (often followed by to or around): to rally around a political candidate.

  2. to recover partially from illness: He spent a bad night but began to rally by morning.

  3. to find renewed strength or vigor: The runner seemed to be rallying for a final sprint.

  4. Finance.

    • (of securities) to rise sharply in price after a drop.

    • (of the persons forming a stock market) to begin to trade with increased activity after a slow period.

  5. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) to engage in a rally.

  6. to participate in a long-distance automobile race.

  7. Baseball. (of a team) to score one or more runs in one inning.

noun,plural ral·lies.
  1. a recovery from dispersion or disorder, as of troops.

  2. a renewal or recovery of strength, activity, etc.

  1. a partial recovery of strength during illness.

  2. 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.

  3. a get-together of hobbyists or other like-minded enthusiasts, primarily to meet and socialize.

  4. Finance. a sharp rise in price or active trading after a declining market.

  5. (in tennis, badminton, etc.)

    • an exchange of strokes between players before a point is scored.

    • the hitting of the ball back and forth prior to the start of a match.

  6. Boxing. an exchange of blows.

  7. Baseball. the scoring of one or more runs in one inning.

  8. British Theater. a quickening of pace for heightening the dramatic effect in a scene or act.

  9. Shipbuilding. a series of blows with battering rams, made in order to drive wedges under a hull to raise it prior to launching.

  10. 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.

Origin of rally

1
First recorded in 1585–95; from French verb rallier, Old French, equivalent to r(e)-re- + allier “to join”; see ally

Other words for rally

Other words from rally

  • ral·li·er, noun

Other definitions for rally (2 of 2)

rally2
[ ral-ee ]

verb (used with object),ral·lied, ral·ly·ing.
  1. Rare. to ridicule in a good-natured way; banter.

Origin of rally

2
First recorded in 1660–70; from French railler “to rail2

Other words for rally

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rally in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rally (1 of 2)

rally1

/ (ˈrælɪ) /


verb-lies, -lying or -lied
  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. (when intr , foll by to) to organize (supporters, etc) for a common cause or (of such people) to come together for a purpose

  1. to summon up (one's strength, spirits, etc) or (of a person's health, strength, or spirits) to revive or recover

  2. (intr) stock exchange to increase sharply after a decline: steels rallied after a bad day

  3. (intr) tennis squash badminton to engage in a rally

nounplural -lies
  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

  1. a return to order after dispersal or rout, as of troops, etc

  2. stock exchange a sharp increase in price or trading activity after a decline

  3. tennis squash badminton an exchange of several shots before one player wins the point

  4. a type of motoring competition over public and closed roads

Origin of rally

1
C16: from Old French rallier, from re- + alier to unite; see ally

Derived forms of rally

  • rallier, noun

British Dictionary definitions for rally (2 of 2)

rally2

/ (ˈrælɪ) /


verb-lies, -lying or -lied
  1. to mock or ridicule (someone) in a good-natured way; chaff; tease

Origin of rally

2
C17: from Old French railler to tease; see rail ²

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