rescue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rescues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rescued,
past participle, past
-
rescuing
present participle
-
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
-
rescues
plural
-
the act of rescuing.
- Synonyms:
- emancipation, redemption, release, deliverance, liberation
-
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.
-
a group or organization that participates in such animal welfare activities: breed-specific rescues.
your local rescue;
breed-specific rescues.
-
a domestic animal adopted from an animal shelter or other animal welfare group.
Our new puppy is a rescue!
adjective
-
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.
-
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
-
to bring (someone or something) out of danger, attack, harm, etc; deliver or save
-
to free (a person) from legal custody by force
-
law to seize (goods or property) by force
noun
-
-
the act or an instance of rescuing
-
( as modifier )
a rescue party
-
-
the forcible removal of a person from legal custody
-
law the forcible seizure of goods or property
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonrescuenoun
-
rescuernoun
-
quasi-rescuedadjective
-
rescuableadjective
-
rescuelessadjective
-
unrescuableadjective
-
unrescuedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rescuesimple
-
rescuessimple
-
have rescuedperfect
-
has rescuedperfect
-
am rescuingprogressive
-
are rescuingprogressive
-
is rescuingprogressive
-
have been rescuingperfect progressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Enabling or Disabling?" and "This I Believe"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, List 3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Despite the rescue operation, tragically, five of the belugas have since died, as well as one dolphin.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Navy are assisting with the rescue effort, Sappey said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Images released by emergency services showed rescue workers in high-visibility vests scrambling to move debris, rubble and dirt.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Ms. Edgar-Jones, who is by far the most likable of the lot, does well enough with the lead role but not well enough to rescue the movie, which is airless, charmless, leaden and drab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
“But you’ll come back next spring, won’t you?” said Nim, because it was hard to think of Chica leaving, too, when Jack wasn’t home yet and Alex didn’t need to rescue her.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
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
The teen’s accident in July was one of three incidents and subsequent rescues over a 15-day period, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.
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
“What? No way. Once Jenny Yen rescues you, you stay rescued.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
They said the remaining rescued belugas show positive signs, including eating well.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Coast Guard rescued 16 people from the ocean about 120 miles off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico, early Friday and is continuing to search for others who may still be in the water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
DHL Express transported four rescued manatees from zoos in Ohio to Florida.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
And in the neighbouring Kocaeli province, a stream overflowed in Gebze district, sweeping away a driver who was later rescued by emergency workers with ropes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
She had been found and rescued from the dark.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
In April, when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Rick Monday rescuing an American flag from protesters about to set it aflame, Claire wanted to share more of the story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
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
"I think the focus should obviously be on rescuing as many people as possible from this disaster", he added, hoping that his parents will be found safe and sound.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
I alerted the organizations involved in rescuing monuments threatened by war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“She died. I’m rescuing another one when I get back in September.”
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
