What is a phrase expressing the aim of a group or party called?

The answer

The word that fits "a phrase expressing the aim of a group or party" is slogan. A slogan is a brief, catchy, easily remembered phrase used by a group, party, business, or campaign to sum up its goal or ideals — for example, a political party's rallying cry printed on posters and banners.

Some textbooks and quiz keys give motto as the answer instead, and it is a defensible alternative because a motto is also a short phrase expressing the guiding aim or principle of a group. The distinction the exam usually wants: a slogan is aimed outward to persuade or rally an audience, while a motto states an inward guiding ideal the group lives by. If the question stresses "aim of a party" in a campaigning sense, slogan is the best single answer.

Slogan vs. motto vs. tagline vs. mission statement

These four terms overlap enough that students mix them up, but each has a distinct job:

• A slogan is persuasive and often temporary — tied to a campaign, product, or cause, and designed to stick in memory ("Yes We Can").
• A motto is a durable statement of principle or ideal, often in formal or Latin form, that defines who a group is (a school motto, a national motto).
• A tagline is a marketing cousin of the slogan, attached to a brand to capture its identity in a few words ("Just Do It").
• A mission statement is a full sentence or short paragraph that formally declares an organization's purpose, audience, and values — far longer and more detailed than a slogan.

Why the other options are wrong

On a typical multiple-choice version of this item, the distractors are usually mission statement, tagline, and something like caption or proverb.

A mission statement is wrong because it is a complete formal declaration of purpose, not a short punchy phrase; it explains how and why an organization operates rather than serving as a memorable rallying phrase. A tagline is close but is specifically a brand identifier used in advertising, not the aim of a group or party. A caption is merely descriptive text under an image and has nothing to do with expressing aims. A proverb is a traditional saying that conveys general wisdom, not the specific goal of one organization.

So when the prompt says "the aim of a group or party," the persuasive, memorable, group-identifying phrase is a slogan (with motto accepted where the emphasis is on a guiding ideal). Understanding that slogans face outward to rally and mottos face inward to guide is the piece most short definition snippets leave out.