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Meaning & use

rally

noun, verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈræli/
US/ˈræli/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A large gathering of people who come together outdoors or in a hall to show support for a cause, a politician or a team.

    Grammar: Countable: hold a rally, attend a rally.

    Patterns

    • a rally for something
    • a rally against something

    Thousands joined the rally outside city hall.

    The candidate spoke at a rally in the local stadium.

    Fans gathered for a pep rally before the big game.

  2. verbtransitive or intransitive

    To bring people together to support a cause or person, or to come together for that reason.

    Grammar: Can take an object (rally supporters) or not (neighbors rallied round); often followed by around or behind.

    Patterns

    • rally around someone
    • rally support for something
    • rally behind someone

    Neighbors rallied around the family after the fire.

    The coach rallied his players before the second half.

    Volunteers rallied behind the new project.

  3. verbintransitive

    To recover or improve after a period of weakness, loss or decline.

    Grammar: No object: the patient rallied; stocks rallied.

    Patterns

    • rally after something

    Stock prices rallied after the surprise announcement.

    The patient rallied overnight and was breathing easier.

    Our team rallied in the last quarter to win.

  4. nouncountablesport

    A long series of hits between players in a game such as tennis, before one of them scores.

    Grammar: Countable: a long rally.

    Patterns

    • win a rally

    They played a thrilling rally of over forty shots.

    She won the rally with a sharp cross-court shot.

  5. nouncountablesport

    A motor race on public roads, often with timed sections.

    Grammar: Countable: a car rally.

    Patterns

    • a rally driver

    He drove in a desert rally across three countries.

    The rally was delayed by snow on the mountain roads.

Word forms

third person singularrallies
past tenserallied
past participlerallied
-ing formrallying
plural nounrallies

Common combinations

hold a rally
The union held a rally on the courthouse steps.
rally support
She worked hard to rally support for the bill.
rally around
Colleagues rallied around her when she was ill.
peace rally
A peace rally filled the main square.
market rally
A late market rally lifted prices.
rally the troops
The captain tried to rally the troops at halftime.

Synonyms and how they differ

demonstration
Demonstration usually means a protest against something, while a rally can be supportive or celebratory.
recover
Recover is the general word for getting better, whereas rally implies a quick improvement after weakness.
gather
Gather just means come together and does not carry the sense of united purpose that rally has.
mobilize
Mobilize is more formal and suggests organizing people for action.

Opposites

declinescatter

Word family

rallying adjective
used to unite people, as in rallying cry
rallier noun
a person who joins or leads a rally
rallyist noun
a person who takes part in motor rallies

Commonly confused: rally or rely?

rally vs rely

Rely means to depend on someone, while rally means to gather or recover.

Practice

After weeks of falling, share prices finally _____ on Friday.

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