rescue

[res-kyoo]

verb (used with object)

rescued, rescuing 

1. 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.

   Synonyms: salvage, recover, emancipate, extricate, ransom, redeem, save, release, liberate

2. Law.,  to liberate or take by forcible or illegal means from lawful custody.

noun

1. the act of rescuing.

   Synonyms: emancipation, redemption, release, deliverance, liberation

2. 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.

3. a group or organization that participates in such animal welfare activities: breed-specific rescues.

   your local rescue;

   breed-specific rescues.

4. a domestic animal adopted from an animal shelter or other animal welfare group.

   Our new puppy is a rescue!

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

rescue

/ ˈrɛskjuː /

verb

1. to bring (someone or something) out of danger, attack, harm, etc; deliver or save

2. to free (a person) from legal custody by force

3. law to seize (goods or property) by force

noun

1. 1. the act or an instance of rescuing

   2. ( as modifier )

      a rescue party

2. the forcible removal of a person from legal custody

3. law the forcible seizure of goods or property

Other Word Forms

• rescuable adjective
• rescueless adjective
• rescuer noun
• nonrescue noun
• quasi-rescued adjective
• unrescuable adjective
• unrescued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rescue¹

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”); re-, ex- ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of rescue¹

C14: rescowen , from Old French rescourre , from _re- + escourre to pull away, from Latin excutere to shake off, from quatere to shake

Example Sentences

A private for-profit company, American Advanced Management, swooped to the rescue of Glenn Medical and a nearby hospital in Colusa County, buying them and keeping them open.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The main Catholic cleric in the region has told the BBC that Nigeria's government is making "no meaningful effort" to rescue those still missing.

Read more on BBC

Photos show vehicles and houses submerged in the city, while desperate residents await rescue on their rooftops.

Read more on BBC

The former president Thomas Jefferson came to the rescue, selling his library of 6,000 books to Congress to jump-start another collection.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On Tuesday Prince William returned to the region of north Wales where he previously spent several years serving as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in the RAF.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• extricate 
• free 
• keep 
• liberate 
• preserve 
• protect 
• recapture 
• recover 
• release 
• retrieve 
• salvage