war cry
5
4.3
- noun
- /wɔr kraɪ/
- Before the battle, the warriors gathered to chant their war cry and boost their morale.
Examples
-
A thrilling war cry builds from their voices joined in unison.
Fiction book (1998) -
It's the war cry of the Sioux Indians.
-
This is your war cry.
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It's a Japanese war cry.
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Let me hear your war cry.
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Somewhere ahead of them, they heard shouting and war cries.
Fiction book (1990) -
The Africans respond with their own war cry and engage the club-swinging police.
Fiction book (1992) -
With a hair-raising war cry, Aslan leaps into view.
Fiction book (1991) -
Rome did come, and their hated ensigns held high, their war cry rang across all of Judea.
Fiction book (1998) -
Then, with no apparent warning, the entire Macedonian army broke their silence by raising their distinctive war cry and clashing their weapons against their Shields.
Synonyms
127
1.0
A loud shout people make to show approval or support
110
4.9
A short phrase used to show strong support for a cause
85
1.0
A loud cry to get attention or show strong feeling
38
1.0
A loud, sudden shout made when you feel strong pain, anger or excitement
17
5.6
A short word or phrase that encourages people to unite and act for a cause
14
3.9
A loud shout or short phrase that encourages people to act together
12
5.9
A strong appeal for people to take action for a cause
6
7.0
A short phrase that guides a group or cause
1
8.8
A loud, high shout warriors make to gather their group or scare the enemy
1
9.9
A loud shout to call dogs in a hunt or get someone's attention
1
9.9
A loud shout to encourage people to work together on a task
1
7.0
A short chant people shout together at a celebration to show support
1
9.9
A loud cry made by people in war or during victory
A loud shout to get attention from far away
How Loud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a loud shout or slogan used to rally people' is directly derivable from combining 'war' (armed conflict) with 'cry' (a shout or slogan); the compound is compositionally transparent. This straightforward pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'grito de guerra'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
War cry comes from the old practice of fighters shouting the same loud call before battle. That shared cry gave courage, showed the group was united, and could scare the enemy, so today 'war cry' means a loud shout or slogan to rally people.