rallied; rallying
1
a
: to muster for a common purpose
b
: to recall to order
2
a
: to arouse for action
b
: to rouse from depression or weakness
1
: to come together again to renew an effort
2
: to join in a common cause
4
: to engage in a rally
plural rallies
1
a
: a mustering of scattered forces to renew an effort
b
: a summoning up of strength or courage after weakness or dejection
c
: a recovery of price after a decline
d
: a renewed offensive
2
: a mass meeting intended to arouse group enthusiasm
3
: a series of shots interchanged between players (as in tennis) before a point is won
4
or less commonly rallye
[French rallye, from English rally entry 1]
: an automobile competition using public roads and ordinary traffic rules with the object of maintaining a specified average speed between checkpoints over a route unknown to the participants until the start of the event
Examples of rally in a Sentence
Verb (1)
rallied the Red Cross workers to deal with the devastating earthquake
despite the best care that medicine could provide, the elderly woman never really rallied from her fractured hip
after wavering a moment on the balance beam, she quickly rallied and finished with a fine dismount
Noun
Supporters held a rally for the candidate.
Protesters staged an antiwar rally.
Stock prices are up after the dollar's rally yesterday.
Verb (2)
his friends rallied him for missing an easy putt
Recent Examples on the Web
Rick Kretzschmar, Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
About 500 protesters also rallied outside the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, with many holding up banners with slogans against Iran’s government and in favor of Pahlavi.
—Stanislav Hodina, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 15 Feb. 2026
That video, recorded at a get-out-the-vote rally for Raman’s reelection campaign, feels like a political lifetime ago.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rally
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Heimuli rallied late in the frame, picking up two points when Burke was called for stalling and taking a 4-3 lead with 12 seconds left in the frame on her way to a 5-3 win.
—Rick Kretzschmar, Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
About 500 protesters also rallied outside the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, with many holding up banners with slogans against Iran’s government and in favor of Pahlavi.
—Stanislav Hodina, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
Chalkbeat reported that pre-K teachers planned to hold a rally at city hall on Thursday to demand increases in wages.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 15 Feb. 2026
That video, recorded at a get-out-the-vote rally for Raman’s reelection campaign, feels like a political lifetime ago.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rally
Cite this Entry
“Rally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rally. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rally
1 of 3 verb
ral·ly
ˈral-ē 
rallied; rallying
1
a
: to bring or come together for a common purpose
rallied to the cause
b
: to bring back to order
rallied the retreating troops
2
: to rouse from low spirits or weakness
the patient rallied
3
: to make a comeback
the team rallied in the fourth quarter
stock prices rallied at the close of trading
rally
2 of 3 noun
plural rallies
1
: the action of rallying
2
: a big meeting intended to arouse enthusiasm
3
: a series of shots hit back and forth between players (as in tennis) before a point is won
rally
3 of 3 verb
rallied; rallying
: to tease in a good-natured way
Etymology
Verb
from French rallier "to call or come together for a common purpose," from early French ralier (same meaning), from re- "again, back" and alier "to unite"
Verb
from French railler "to mock, tease," from early French railler (same meaning) — related to rail entry 4
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
