rescue

verb

/ˈreskjuː/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they rescue	/ˈreskjuː/ /ˈreskjuː/
he / she / it rescues	/ˈreskjuːz/ /ˈreskjuːz/
past simple rescued	/ˈreskjuːd/ /ˈreskjuːd/
past participle rescued	/ˈreskjuːd/ /ˈreskjuːd/
-ing form rescuing	/ˈreskjuːɪŋ/ /ˈreskjuːɪŋ/

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to save somebody/something from a dangerous or harmful situation
- rescue somebody/something from something/somebody The coastguard rescued six people from the sinking boat.
- The woman was rescued from her burning home by firefighters.
- You rescued me from an embarrassing situation.
- The house was rescued from demolition.
- rescue somebody/something from doing something He rescued a child from drowning.
- rescue somebody/something The hostages were rescued and brought to safety.
- The shelter rescues stray dogs.
- rescue somebody/something + adj. She had despaired of ever being rescued alive.
Synonyms save
save
- rescue
- bail out
- redeem
These words all mean to prevent somebody/something from dying, losing something, being harmed or embarrassed.
- save to prevent somebody/something from dying, being harmed or destroyed or losing something:
  Doctors were unable to save him.
  a campaign to save the panda from extinction
- rescue to save somebody/something from a dangerous or harmful situation:
  They were rescued by a passing cruise ship.
- bail somebody out to rescue somebody/something from a difficult situation, especially by providing money:
  Don’t expect me to bail you out if it all goes wrong.
- redeem (formal, religion) to save somebody from the power of evil:
  He was a sinner, redeemed by the grace of God.
  Redeem is also used in non-religious language in the phrase redeem a situation, which means to prevent a situation from being as bad as it might be.
Patterns
- to save/rescue/redeem somebody/something from something
- to save/rescue/redeem a situation
- to save/redeem sinners/mankind
- to rescue somebody/bail somebody out financially
Extra Examples
- The bank rescued the company from bankruptcy.
- They were eventually rescued by helicopter.
- He died while trying to rescue his children from the blaze.
- Police officers helped to rescue motorists stranded by the floods.
- The little boy had to be rescued by firemen.
- He was drowned in an attempt to rescue the child.
- The pony had been rescued from near starvation by a kindly old lady.
- They were rescued by a passing cruise ship.
Topics Dangerb2, War and conflictb2
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French rescoure from Latin re- (expressing intensive force) + excutere ‘shake out, discard’.

rescue

noun

/ˈreskjuː/

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[uncountable] the act of saving somebody/something from a dangerous or difficult situation; the fact of being saved
- We had given up hope of rescue.
- A wealthy benefactor came to their rescue with a generous donation.
- a rescue operation/mission
- a mountain rescue team
- rescue helicopters/boats/workers
- The United Nations is helping to coordinate rescue efforts.
Extra Examples
- a rescue attempt
- Her wails of distress brought him running from the house, like a knight to the rescue.
- New Zealand fire and rescue services carried out several extensive searches for survivors.
- No one came to their rescue until the following day.
- The navy are on a search and rescue mission.
- a financial rescue package for the company
- an animal rescue centre
- his rescue from a burning building
- the rescue of a man from a burning building
Topics Dangerb2, War and conflictb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- dramatic
- daring
- emergency
- …
verb + rescue
- attempt
- come to
- go to
- …
rescue + noun
- attempt
- effort
- mission
- …
preposition
- to somebody’s/the rescue
- rescue from
- rescue of
- …
phrases
- fire and rescue
- search and rescue
See full entry
[countable] an occasion when somebody/something is saved from a dangerous or difficult situation
- Ten fishermen were saved in a daring sea rescue.
- Her own boat capsized after she attempted a rescue.
Topics Dangerb2, War and conflictb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- dramatic
- daring
- emergency
- …
verb + rescue
- attempt
- come to
- go to
- …
rescue + noun
- attempt
- effort
- mission
- …
preposition
- to somebody’s/the rescue
- rescue from
- rescue of
- …
phrases
- fire and rescue
- search and rescue
See full entry

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French rescoure from Latin re- (expressing intensive force) + excutere ‘shake out, discard’.