rescue

[ res-kyoo ]

verb (used with object)

, res·cued, res·cu·ing.

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, extricate, ransom, redeem, save, release, liberate, emancipate

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

Derived Forms

• ˈrescuer, noun
• ˈrescuable, adjective

Other Words From

• rescu·a·ble adjective
• rescue·less adjective
• rescu·er noun
• non·rescue noun
• quasi-rescued adjective
• un·rescu·a·ble adjective
• un·rescued 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

After hours of searching with mountain rescue, her sister Faye was told that the "bubbly, caring and brilliant mum" had taken her own life.

From BBC

Later that day, after the craft failed to resurface, the US Coast Guard was notified, sparking a vast search and rescue operation.

From BBC

The rescue workers had just left when we arrived at the scene of an Israeli air strike on a building in Aramoun, south-west of Lebanon’s capital Beirut.

From BBC

In his first two years, when the Democrats had control of the House and the Senate, Biden enjoyed succeeded in passing the American Rescue plan, the Investment and Jobs Act and the Chips and Science Act.

From BBC

The court also heard how pre-sentence reports recognised how well she had cared for her rescue dog, Diesel.

From BBC

Related Words

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