rally1

verb (rallies, rallying, rallied)

• 1(of troops) come together again in order to continue fighting after a defeat or dispersion:De Montfort’s troops rallied and drove back the king’s infantry
• [with object] bring together (forces) again in order to continue fighting: the king escaped to Perth to rally his own forces
• assemble in a mass meeting:up to 50,000 people rallied in the city centre
• bring or come together in order to support a person or cause: [no object, with infinitive]:colleagues rallied round to help Ann [with object]:a series of meetings to rally support for the union

• 2recover or cause to recover in health, spirits, or poise: [no object]:he floundered for a moment, then rallied again [with object]:they rallied her with a drink
• (of share, currency, or commodity prices) increase after a fall:prices of metals have rallied

• 3drive in a rally: we’re driving off to Spain to rally [with object]:he has raced and rallied MGBs for thirty years

noun (plural rallies)

• 1a mass meeting of people making a political protest or showing support for a cause:a banned nationalist rally
• an open-air event for people who own a particular kind of vehicle:a traction engine rally

• 2a long-distance race for motor vehicles over public roads or rough terrain, typically in several stages: [as modifier]:a rally driver

• 3a quick or marked recovery after a decline:the market staged a late rally

• 4(in tennis and other racket sports) an extended exchange of strokes between players: a rally of more than three strokes was a rarity