Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense rescues, present participle rescuing, past tense, past participle rescued
1. verb
If you rescue someone, you get them out of a dangerous or unpleasant situation.
Helicopters rescued nearly 20 people from the roof of the burning building. [VERB noun]
He had rescued her from a horrible life. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: save, get out, save the life of, extricate More Synonyms of rescue
rescuerWord forms: plural rescuerscountable noun
It took rescuers 90 minutes to reach the trapped men.
2. uncountable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Rescue is help which gets someone out of a dangerous or unpleasant situation.
Lights clipped onto life jackets improve the chances of rescue.
A big rescue operation has been launched for a trawler missing at sea.
3. countable noun
A rescue is an attempt to save someone from a dangerous or unpleasant situation.
A major air-sea rescue is under way.
Five children were pulled from the smoke-filled house in heroic rescues by fire crews.
4.
See go to sb's rescue/come to sb's rescue
More Synonyms of rescue
rescue in British English
(ˈrɛskjuː)
verbWord forms: -cues, -cuing or -cued(transitive)
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
4.
a.
the act or an instance of rescuing
b.
(as modifier)
a rescue party
5.
the forcible removal of a person from legal custody
6. law
the forcible seizure of goods or property
Derived forms
rescuable (ˈrescuable)
adjective
rescuer (ˈrescuer)
noun
Word origin
C14: rescowen, from Old French rescourre, from re- + escourre to pull away, from Latin excutere to shake off, from quatere to shake
rescue in American English
(ˈrɛskju)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈrescued or ˈrescuing
1.
to free or save from danger, imprisonment, evil, etc.
2. Law
to take (a person or thing) out of legal custody by force
noun
3.
the act or an instance of rescuing; deliverance
SYNONYMY NOTE: rescue implies prompt action in freeing someone or something from imminent danger or destructionor in releasing someone from captivity [the lifeguard rescued the drowning child]; deliver implies a setting free from confinement or from some restricting situation [deliver me from those interminable sermons]; redeem suggests a freeing from bondage or from the consequences of sin, or a reclaiming,as from pawn, deterioration, etc. [how can I redeem my good name?]; ransom specifically implies the payment of what is demanded in order to free one held captive;, save1, in this connection, is a general, comprehensive synonym for any of the precedingterms
Derived forms
rescuable (ˈrescuable)
adjective
rescuer (ˈrescuer)
noun
Word origin
ME rescuen < OFr rescourre < re-, again + escorre, to shake, move < L excutere, to shake off, drive away < ex-, off + quatere, to shake: see quash2
Examples of 'rescue' in a sentence
rescue
The high concentration of toxic gases underground is hampering the rescue attempt.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Or stand by to rescue you from fire and terror and stroke and dodgy drains.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He blamed the coastguard for taking too long to come to the rescue.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She will have detailed plans to rescue Obamacare.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Because they think they're all going to be rescued.
The Sun (2016)
At least ten million Chinese people logged on to a live feed of the rescue operation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are rescue chickens, saved from a battery farm.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
DURHAM have taken a huge step towards securing their financial future by agreeing a rescue package with the local council.
The Sun (2016)
The video will help rescue teams prepare for what they are about to face, work out the resources needed and give advice to the victim.
The Sun (2016)
Those are the outside forces that have rescued me at times.
Christianity Today (2000)
You expect other people to rescue you.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Three people were rescued from one house.
The Sun (2012)
It prompted a major search and rescue operation.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
One day our political parties may demand public money to rescue them from bankruptcy.
The Sun (2013)
She could have been saved had the rescue not been botched.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But administrators said attempts to rescue the business had failed.
The Sun (2016)
He was rescued by the fire brigade the following morning.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The biggest rescue was from a packed wooden fishing boat.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It has also allowed him to rescue his company from the threat of extinction.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He swam out and nearly rescued a seal.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
She comes to the rescue when her friend brings in her adopted daughter with a rash.
The Sun (2008)
The rescue package failed to reassure traders.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Some people stranded on a garage roof were rescued by boat.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It was rescued by an act of great courage by one officer and a handful of men.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
It was almost enough to rescue the situation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It came a day after leading politicians denied they were seeking a rescue plan.
The Sun (2012)
There is increased interest and energy placed on the need for humanitarian rescue forces outside the battlefield.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Nato may find itself having to go to the rescue of some of the craft before the operation is over.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In the past 12 months there has been a catalogue of building society rescues and mergers.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Helicopters and boats helped rescue more than 150 people after a gigantic freak blizzard.
The Sun (2008)
In other languages
rescue
British English: rescue /ˈrɛskjuː/ NOUN
A rescue is an attempt to save someone from a dangerous or unpleasant situation.
...a major air-sea rescue.
American English: rescue
Arabic: إنْقاذ
Brazilian Portuguese: resgate
Chinese: 援救
Croatian: spašavanje
Czech: záchrana
Danish: redning
Dutch: redding
European Spanish: rescate salvamento
Finnish: pelastus
French: rescousse
German: Rettung
Greek: διάσωση
Italian: salvataggio
Japanese: 救助
Korean: 구조
Norwegian: redningsaksjon
Polish: ratunek
European Portuguese: salvamento
Romanian: salvare
Russian: спасение
Latin American Spanish: rescate
Swedish: räddning
Thai: การช่วยชีวิต
Turkish: kurtarma
Ukrainian: порятунок
Vietnamese: sự cứu nguy
British English: rescue /ˈrɛskjuː/ VERB
If you rescue someone, you get them out of a dangerous or unpleasant situation.
Helicopters rescued nearly 20 people from the roof of the burning building.
American English: rescue
Arabic: يُنْقِذُ
Brazilian Portuguese: resgatar
Chinese: 援救
Croatian: spasiti
Czech: zachránit
Danish: redde
Dutch: redden
European Spanish: rescatar
Finnish: pelastaa
French: secourir
German: retten
Greek: διασώζω
Italian: soccorrere
Japanese: 救う
Korean: 구조하다
Norwegian: redde
Polish: uratować
European Portuguese: salvar
Romanian: a salva
Russian: спасать
Latin American Spanish: rescatar
Swedish: rädda
Thai: ช่วยเหลือ
Turkish: kurtarmak
Ukrainian: рятувати
Vietnamese: cứu
All related terms of 'rescue'
rescue crew
A crew is a group of people with special technical skills who work together on a task or project.
rescue dog
a dog trained to assist rescue workers
rescue party
a group of people who attempt to rescue , find or save a person or people for danger , esp a person or people who have got lost while mountain climbing
rescue worker
someone who works to bring people out of danger , attack, harm , etc, esp after a disaster , accident , etc
mountain rescue
search and rescue conducted on a mountain , for example of someone who has fallen , got lost , etc
rescue attempt
an attempt to bring a person or people out of danger , harm , attack, etc
rescue mission
mission (sense 12 )
rescue services
emergency services comprising employees , equipment, etc, which serve to bring people out of danger , attack, harm , etc, esp after a disaster , accident , etc
air-sea rescue
an air rescue at sea
rescue operations
operations or organized procedures to bring people or a person out of danger , attack, harm , etc
search and rescue
the activity of looking for and rescuing people who are lost or in danger
mountain rescue team
a group of people who conduct search and rescue on a mountain , for example of someone who has fallen , got lost , etc
go to sb's rescue/come to sb's rescue
If you go to someone's rescue or come to their rescue , you help them when they are in danger or difficulty .
mission
A mission is an important task that people are given to do, especially one that involves travelling to another country.
Chinese translation of 'rescue'
rescue
(ˈrɛskjuː)
n(c/u)
营(營)救 (yíngjiù) (次, cì)
vt
解救 (jiějiù)
to go/come to sb's rescue前往/来(來)营(營)救某人 (qiánwǎng/lái yíngjiù mǒurén)
to rescue sb from sth从(從)某事中解救某人 (cóng mǒushì zhōng jiějiù mǒurén)
1 (verb)
Definition
to bring (someone or something) out of danger or trouble
Helicopters rescued nearly 20 people.
Synonyms
save
get out
save the life of
extricate
Emergency workers tried to extricate the survivors from the wreckage.
free
It will free us of a whole lot of debt.
release
He was released from custody the next day.
deliver
recover
Rescue teams recovered a few more survivors from the rubble.
liberate
How committed is the leadership to liberating its people from poverty?
set free
save (someone's) bacon (British, informal)
Opposites
leave
,
lose
,
abandon
, desert,
strand
,
leave behind
2 (verb)
Definition
to bring (someone or something) out of danger or trouble
He rescued a 14th century barn from demolition.
Synonyms
salvage
They studied flight recorders salvaged from the wreckage.
save
She could have saved him from this final disaster.
deliver
Mercifully, I was delivered from that pain.
redeem
a new female spiritual force to redeem the world
come to the rescue of
(noun)
Definition
the act or an instance of rescuing
the rescue of the crew of a ship
Synonyms
saving
salvage
The salvage of the ship went on.
deliverance
their sudden deliverance from war
extrication
release
the secret negotiations necessary to secure the release of the hostages
relief
The news will come as a great relief.
recovery
liberation
Passover recalls the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
salvation
The shipwrecked vessels were beyond salvation.
redemption
offering redemption from our sins
Additional synonyms
in the sense of deliver
Definition
to release or rescue (from captivity or danger)
Mercifully, I was delivered from that pain.
Synonyms
release,
free,
save,
rescue,
loose,
discharge,
liberate,
acquit,
redeem,
ransom,
emancipate
in the sense of deliverance
their sudden deliverance from war
Synonyms
release,
rescue,
liberation,
salvation,
redemption,
ransom,
emancipation
in the sense of extricate
Definition
to free from a difficult or complicated situation or place
Emergency workers tried to extricate the survivors from the wreckage.
Synonyms
free,
clear,
release,
remove,
rescue,
get out,
disengage,
disentangle
Synonyms of 'rescue'
rescue
Explore 'rescue' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of free
Definition
to release or liberate
It will free us of a whole lot of debt.
Synonyms
clear,
deliver,
disengage,
cut loose,
release,
rescue,
rid,
relieve,
exempt,
undo,
redeem,
ransom,
extricate,
unburden,
unshackle
in the sense of liberate
Definition
to release (a country) from enemy occupation
How committed is the leadership to liberating its people from poverty?
Synonyms
free,
release,
rescue,
save,
deliver,
discharge,
redeem,
let out,
set free,
let loose,
untie,
emancipate,
unchain,
unbind,
manumit
in the sense of liberation
Passover recalls the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Synonyms
freeing,
release,
freedom,
liberty,
liberating,
redemption,
emancipation,
deliverance,
manumission,
enfranchisement,
unshackling,
unfettering
in the sense of recover
Definition
to get back or make good (expense or loss)
Rescue teams recovered a few more survivors from the rubble.
Synonyms
save,
rescue,
retrieve,
salvage,
reclaim
in the sense of redeem
a new female spiritual force to redeem the world
Synonyms
save,
free,
deliver,
rescue,
liberate,
ransom,
set free,
extricate,
emancipate,
buy the freedom of,
pay the ransom of
in the sense of redemption
Definition
deliverance from sin through the incarnation and death of Christ
offering redemption from our sins
Synonyms
salvation,
release,
rescue,
liberation,
ransom,
emancipation,
deliverance
in the sense of release
Definition
to free (a person or animal) from captivity or imprisonment
He was released from custody the next day.
Synonyms
set free,
free,
discharge,
liberate,
drop,
deliver,
loose,
let go,
undo,
let out,
extricate,
untie,
disengage,
emancipate,
unchain,
unfasten,
turn loose,
unshackle,
unloose,
unfetter,
unbridle,
manumit
in the sense of release
Definition
the act of freeing or state of being freed
the secret negotiations necessary to secure the release of the hostages
Synonyms
liberation,
freedom,
delivery,
liberty,
discharge,
emancipation,
deliverance,
manumission,
relief
in the sense of relief
Definition
the projection of a carved design from the surface
The news will come as a great relief.
Synonyms
ease,
release,
comfort,
cure,
remedy,
solace,
balm,
deliverance,
mitigation,
abatement,
alleviation,
easement,
palliation,
assuagement
in the sense of salvation
Definition
the act of preserving someone or something from harm