battle cry

IPA/ˈbætl kraɪ/
IPA/ˈbætl kraɪ/

battle cry — noun

1. a loud shout that soldiers make as they go into a fight, to give themselves cour

1.nounB2
Definition

a loud shout that soldiers make as they go into a fight, to give themselves courage and to scare the enemy.

Example

The soldiers let out a fierce battle cry as they charged up the hill.

let out a battle cry as [event]

Adina heard the enemy's battle cry echo across the misty valley before dawn.

Common collocations
  • fierce battle cry
  • let out a battle cry
  • ancient battle cry
Synonyms
  • war cry

    near-synonym; equally common for the literal combat shout

  • rallying cry

    leans toward the figurative meaning of sense 2

Grammar Patterns

raise / let out a battle cry

Usage Note

Typically the object of verbs like 'let out', 'raise', 'give', or 'sound'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is a literal shout in physical combat, not a slogan for a cause.

2. a short phrase or slogan that people repeat to win backing for what they believe

2.nounB2
Definition

a short phrase or slogan that people repeat to win backing for what they believe in and to push others into action.

Example

"Equal pay now" became the battle cry of the striking factory workers.

X became the battle cry of [group]

Niran printed the campaign's battle cry on hundreds of bright orange posters.

Common collocations
  • the battle cry of
  • rallying battle cry
  • campaign's battle cry
Synonyms
  • rallying cry

    almost interchangeable for this figurative sense

  • slogan

    neutral; lacks the emotional, mobilising force of battle cry

  • watchword

    more formal; a guiding phrase rather than a mobilising shout

Grammar Patterns

the battle cry of [a movement]

Usage Note

Often appears as 'the battle cry of [a movement/campaign]' and is followed by, or stands for, a short quoted phrase. Distinguish from sense 1: here no fighting happens, the 'cry' is a repeated slogan rather than a shout.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

In the figurative sense, all four name a phrase that pulls people together, but they differ in heat. A 'slogan' is the most neutral — an advertiser or a party simply uses one, with no promise of passion. A 'watchword' is more solemn: a guiding principle a group holds to, such as 'safety first'. 'Battle cry' and 'rallying cry' are the most stirring; both suggest energy, urgency, and a shared fight. 'Rallying cry' stresses gathering people around a goal, while 'battle cry' carries a sharper edge of confrontation, as if there is an enemy to face. You might say, "'Tax the rich' became the protest's battle cry," but a company would print a 'slogan' on its packaging, not a battle cry.

battle cry ↗rallying cryslogan ↗watchword ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • let out a battle cry
  • raise a battle cry
  • the battle cry of a movement

Prepositions

  • battle cry of
  • with a battle cry

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

A transparent compound of 'battle' and 'cry'. 'Battle' came into English from Old French 'bataille', which traces back to Late Latin 'battualia', meaning fighting or fencing exercises. 'Cry' also arrived through Old French 'crier', from Latin 'quiritare', to wail or call out. The literal 'shout in combat' meaning came first; the figurative 'slogan for a cause' sense grew later as politics and movements borrowed the imagery of war.

First known use

1775

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1