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Glite Dictionary
to sally out

to sally out

9.0
Leave a place where you are hiding suddenly to attack or surprise someone
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈsæli aʊt/
: salir
  • After careful planning, they sallied out from the fortress to launch a surprise raid.

Examples

  • Here they could make sure to shore up their own battle lines or Sally out to break those of the enemy.

  • Some urged that we sally out against the besiegers, attack them, and drive them away.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • That night the Xanthian sallied out to burn the Rams.

  • That night the Xanthian sallied out to burn the Rams.

  • The outnumbered Greek defenders sallied out from the city to protect Himera's territory, only to lose the first skirmishes.

    Academic text (2011)

  • It is a rare king who sallies out to war without holding great solemnities to gain the favor of his god, or gods, or goddesses, or whatever.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Except for a few commando units, they mostly remained confined inside their fortified garrisons, often failing to sally out even when guerrillas were known to be nearby.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The soldiers decided to sally out at dawn to catch the enemy off guard.

  • With a loud shout, the team sallied out onto the field, ready to compete energetically.

Synonyms

to get out of here
vsto sally out
  • Informal
∞ 3.0

Leave a place quickly or suddenly

is similar but usually carries more energy and purposeful action
to go out
vsto sally out
∞ 1.0

Leave a place to do a task, for example to help people

is more sudden and energetic, often with surprise or attack intent
to step out
vsto sally out
234 2.3

Leave a room or building briefly

is more sudden, energetic, and often meant to surprise or attack
to up and leave
vsto sally out
  • Informal
41 6.3

Go away suddenly without warning or explanation

is like this but usually with greater energy and intent
to hop out
vsto sally out
  • Informal
11 2.8

To get out of a vehicle or place quickly with a small jump

is usually stronger and often aims to attack or surprise
to rush out
vsto sally out
9 3.3

To run out quickly from a hiding place to surprise someone

is like this but also covers brief noncombat excursions
to bolt out
vsto sally out
  • Informal
5 4.9

Leave a place suddenly and quickly because you feel scared

is similarly sudden but more energetic and purposeful
to burst forth
vsto sally out
5 5.4

Suddenly start to happen with a lot of energy

focuses more on leaving a place to act or attack
to leap out
vsto sally out
3 3.1

To jump out suddenly from a hiding place to surprise someone

is broader, applying to any sudden energetic departure
to rush away
vsto sally out
2 2.5

Leave a place quickly because you are in a hurry

is like this but often more energetic and aimed at surprise
to sally forth
vsto sally out
1 8.4

Leave a place quickly and with energy to start a journey

is similar but can stress surprise or brief attack more
to pop off
vsto sally out
  • UK
1 7.9

To leave a place quickly, often without saying goodbye

is more energetic and may imply an attack or brief sortie
to make a sally
vsto sally out
  • Literature
9.0

To go out quickly on a short trip with a clear purpose

is more sudden and often meant to attack or surprise
to take your hook
vsto sally out
  • Archaic
9.9

Leave a place quickly because you are not welcome

is similar in suddenness but more energetic and purposeful

Antonyms

to remain
∞ 1.0

To stay in the same place or state and not change

to linger
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

How Energetic

charge
65 4.8
to rush out
9 3.3
to sally out
9.0
to step out
234 2.3
to leave
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

sally out infinitive
sallying out present participle
sallies out third person singular
sallied out past
sallied out past participle

Morphology

sally + out

The sense 'to leave a place suddenly and energetically' is directly derivable from combining 'sally' (to rush out from a place of safety) with 'out' (away from the interior). The phrase follows a regular verb+particle pattern without an idiomatic semantic shift, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning, despite the verb's somewhat formal/military register.

Etymology

Sally out comes from soldiers in old forts who would suddenly rush out to attack. The picture of people rushing out from behind the walls, a quick bold move like a leap that is the idea of sally, explains why the phrase means 'to leave a place suddenly and energetically', often to 'attack', 'surprise', or go on a short trip.