rally
To bring together or gather people for a common purpose, especially after a period of discouragement or dispersion; to recover strength.
Implies a defensive or recovery action—bringing scattered forces back together to mount a counter-offensive or recover from a setback.
Word relationships
- muster: Muster implies gathering people or courage for a specific, formal inspection or task, while rally emphasizes the emotional regrouping and recovery of spirits.
- regroup: Regroup is a tactical term for reorganizing forces, whereas rally carries a stronger emotional charge of renewed determination and spirit.
- disband: Disband means to break up an organized group, letting them go their separate ways.
- scatter: Scatter means to throw in various random directions, breaking up any unity.
Commonly confused with
- gather: Gather is a neutral verb for bringing things or people together, while rally specifically implies bringing them together for a shared, urgent purpose or to recover from a setback.
Word family
- rallying (adjective): Serving to bring people together for a common cause (e.g., a rallying cry).
Collocations
- rally support
- rally troops
- rally around
- make a rally
Idioms & expressions
- rally the troops
Example sentences
- "After a series of poor debate performances, the candidate managed to rally her supporters for a final push." Describing a political campaign's recovery.
- "After a sharp morning decline, the stock market began to rally in the late afternoon." Discussing financial markets.
Memory hook
Think of a 'rally' race where cars must navigate tough terrain and 're-ally' at specific checkpoints to complete the course together. Re-ally and stand together.
When not to use
Do not use when describing the very first, calm organization of a group; rally implies a response to a challenge, decline, or threat.
Fun facts
- In tennis and table tennis, a 'rally' refers to a continuous sequence of back-and-forth shots between players before a point is scored, reflecting the word's sense of sustained, collaborative action.
Related words
Explore more words
muster, recuperate, unite, revitalize, counteroffensive, ally
Also appears in
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