pep rally

noun

An extracurricular school activity in which students gather to express support for the school sports team before a game.

Meanings

nounpep rally (plural pep rallies)

plural pep rallies

  1. An extracurricular school activity in which students gather to express support for the school sports team before a game.

    It was at the pep rally for UNA's first football game, their freshman year, when Mary Beth and Dwayne met.

    2012, Monty Newport, Tuff Guy: The Story of a Lost and Found Dog in Alabama, →ISBN, page 31
    3 more examples

    Students, whether they liked football or not, looked forward to Friday afternoons. Regular seventh period classes were let out early to hold a mass pep rally to support the team.

    2010, Douglas E. Foley, Learning Capitalist Culture: Deep in the Heart of Tejas, →ISBN, page 28

    At a pep rally we were screaming and stuff and he was, “Guys quiet down or there's not going to be another pep rally”.

    2017, Jane Wilkinson, Laurette Bristol, Educational Leadership as a Culturally-Constructed Practice, →ISBN

    The scene is Nirvana performing at a high school pep rally. The kids watching from the bleachers are the kind of kids who really hate pep rallies.

    2022, Chuck Klosterman, The Nineties, New York: Penguin Press, →ISBN
  2. broadlyA meeting or gathering for the purpose of instilling enthusiasm and motivation in attenders.

    In Little Old New York, there is a political pep rally at the front steps of the Bank of New York.

    2010, Robert McLaughlin, Frank R. Adamo, Freedomland, →ISBN
    3 more examples

    When a service improvement process is first rolled out, the training sessions can be somewhat of a pep rally to get employees excited about the effort.

    2009, Dennis Snow, Teri Yanovitch, Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service, →ISBN

    You will be amazed at how creative a small group of outstanding people can actually make the pep rally meeting more than just another staff meeting.

    2010, Gary J. Borgstede, The Make It Happen Journey, →ISBN

    The 2004 pep rally, a company activity where employees are entertained and encouraged to do more for the company, featured a company fashion show.

    2018, Veronica Manlow, Designing Clothes: Culture and Organization of the Fashion Industry, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
Cite this entry
APA

pep rally. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pep%20rally

MLA

“pep rally.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pep%20rally. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pep rally,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pep%20rally.

Source: pep rally on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.