sally
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.
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.
Origin of sally
1Other words for sally
Other words from sally
- sal·li·er, noun
- outsally, verb (used with object), out·sal·lied, out·sal·ly·ing.
- un·sal·ly·ing, adjective
Other definitions for Sally (2 of 2)
or Sal·lie
a female given name, form of Sarah.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sally in a sentence
Encouraged, my pitch gets better, my conversational sallies looser.
At lunch he was the greatest possible fun, bubbling over with jokes and witty sallies.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonThese sallies of Perrette and Corentin completed the conversion of those serfs who still hesitated.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne SueHe floundered aimlessly, striving by short sallies to recover the path from which the storm had taken him, but all to no purpose.
The White Desert | Courtney Ryley CooperBetween the two lines, separated by only fifty yards, sallies and counter-sallies were continual occurrences after dark.
The Civil War Through the Camera | Henry W. (Henry William) Elson
All these quick and lively sallies were said sportively, quite in jest, and with a smile, which showed that he meant only wit.
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886 | Ministry of Education
British Dictionary definitions for sally (1 of 3)
/ (ˈsælɪ) /
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
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
Origin of sally
1Derived forms of sally
- sallier, noun
British Dictionary definitions for sally (2 of 3)
/ (ˈsælɪ) /
the lower part of a bell rope, where it is caught at handstroke, into which coloured wool is woven to make a grip
Origin of sally
2British Dictionary definitions for Sally (3 of 3)
/ (ˈsælɪ) /
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
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