rescue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rescues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rescued,
past participle, past
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rescuing
present participle
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to free or deliver from confinement, danger, or difficulty: She rescued me from an awkward conversation.
The police were able to rescue the hostages in time.
She rescued me from an awkward conversation.
-
Law. to liberate or take by forcible or illegal means from lawful custody.
noun
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rescues
plural
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the act of rescuing.
- Synonyms:
- emancipation, redemption, release, deliverance, liberation
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the act of rescuing animals from danger, abuse, or neglect, as the adoption of stray and abandoned animals from an animal shelter, or the protection of wild animals in an animal sanctuary.
Animal rescue requires cooperation between animal control agencies and shelters.
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a group or organization that participates in such animal welfare activities: breed-specific rescues.
your local rescue;
breed-specific rescues.
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a domestic animal adopted from an animal shelter or other animal welfare group.
Our new puppy is a rescue!
adjective
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of or relating to someone or something trained or equipped to rescue.
The county's three certified rescue dogs and their handlers searched for earthquake survivors in the rubble.
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of or relating to a domestic animal adopted or available for adoption from an animal shelter or other animal welfare group.
rescue puppies and kittens looking for loving families.
verb
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to bring (someone or something) out of danger, attack, harm, etc; deliver or save
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to free (a person) from legal custody by force
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law to seize (goods or property) by force
noun
-
-
the act or an instance of rescuing
-
( as modifier )
a rescue party
-
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the forcible removal of a person from legal custody
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law the forcible seizure of goods or property
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrescuenoun
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rescuernoun
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quasi-rescuedadjective
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rescuableadjective
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rescuelessadjective
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unrescuableadjective
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unrescuedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rescuesimple
-
rescuessimple
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have rescuedperfect
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has rescuedperfect
-
am rescuingprogressive
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are rescuingprogressive
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is rescuingprogressive
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have been rescuingperfect progressive
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has been rescuingperfect progressive
Past
-
rescuedsimple
-
had rescuedperfect
-
was rescuingprogressive
-
were rescuingprogressive
-
had been rescuingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rescue
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb rescuen, from Old French rescourre, equivalent to re- + escourre “to shake, drive out, remove,” from Latin excutere ( ex- + -cutere, combining form of quatere “to shake”); see origin at re-, ex- 1
Explanation
When you rescue something, you save it from something bad — you come to the rescue. If Muffin, your kitten, is stuck in a tree, you can get out your ladder and climb up to rescue her. A rescue is a good thing, much appreciated by people (and kittens). If your house is in foreclosure, you'd be very grateful for the uncle who comes to your rescue by paying your mortgage. Whenever there's an earthquake or other disaster, rescue operations are quickly put in place to find survivors. You can use the word more casually, as in describing how you saunter over at a cocktail party and rescue your friend from a conversation with an insufferable bore.
Vocabulary lists containing rescue
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Enabling or Disabling?" and "This I Believe"
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"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Ukrainian army said Friday it would do "everything possible to assist the residents of Oleshky and will make every effort to ensure the safety and rescue of our fellow citizens."
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
Two intrepid teens head into the unknown on an absorbing, densely detailed rescue mission — not for the especially young — that stuns at every turn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Nathan said the loss of his 36-year-old "childhood sweetheart" was "unimaginable", but she was a "hero... in life and in death" as she helped to rescue the two boys.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
From rescue volunteers to tradespeople, being on standby means preparing for situations they cannot always predict.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
The rescue crew had found Brian near the road, about two hundred yards from the cabin.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
The sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, or MONOSAR, is a nonprofit organization made up of unpaid community members who volunteer their time and often their own equipment to perform rescues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The United Nations, which has launched a $50 million appeal to help more than 84,000 people, has said that "operations are shifting from search and rescue to relief and recovery, though rescues continue".
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
The rescues have mostly been of swimmers not properly judging the strong currents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
"Not one rescue, but multiple potential rescues, unfolding at the same time, in different places, each with its own dangers, uncertainties, and lives that may still be saved."
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
During the day he traveled the city with other police officers and National Guard troops, making rescues.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
The children were subsequently rescued from the water.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
They have rescued kidnapping victims, searched for children recruited by armed groups, and even protected forests from deforestation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
In February, the guards rescued former vice-presidential candidate and Indigenous leader Aida Quilcue, who was kidnapped and held for several hours by guerrillas in Cauca.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
"I would have died if I wasn't rescued from Shakahola forest."
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
All it took was a fire, nearly dying, and being rescued by humans and healed in a box to make me feel it: a desire to play that smothers everything else.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
But downsizing means rescuing yourself from being a “prisoner of your possessions,” as Ciji Ware writes in her new book, “Rightsizing Over 70.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
And one commenter, referencing the classic hot firemen calendars used as fundraisers, wrote: “Someone should make a calendar of handsome men rescuing cats and dogs!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
He said rescuers had called into the tunnel: "Don't worry, we are rescuing you."
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Remote-piloted drones help to deliver supplies and evacuate the wounded, rescuing servicemen, Ukraine’s most valuable resource, but they remain labor intensive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Listen—do you hear Chase rescuing me from the pump handle?
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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