rescue

American  

[res-kyoo] / ˈrɛs kyu /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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

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

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”); 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.

Example Sentences

The secretary also claimed that the man’s first radio message to rescue forces was “God is good,” an account that can’t be verified as the pilot’s identity hasn’t been released.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

After 20 more hours in which the rescue teams used pumps to lower the water level in the flooded tunnels, Zapata could finally be taken to the surface.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Meatloaf’s rescue was made possible by aquarium volunteers who conduct weekly and monthly field surveys monitoring green sea turtles in the San Gabriel River, according to Jaros.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

It compares evenly with the search and rescue missions undertaken during the Vietnam era in “competence and bravery” but exceeds those earlier missions in only one regard: recognition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“If I end up in the sea, it’s your job to rescue me, yes?”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

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