rescue
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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Law. to liberate or take by forcible or illegal means from lawful custody.
noun
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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.
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a group or organization that participates in such animal welfare activities: breed-specific rescues.
your local rescue;
breed-specific rescues.
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a domestic animal adopted from an animal shelter or other animal welfare group.
Our new puppy is a rescue!
adjective
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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.
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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
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to bring (someone or something) out of danger, attack, harm, etc; deliver or save
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to free (a person) from legal custody by force
-
law to seize (goods or property) by force
noun
-
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the act or an instance of rescuing
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( as modifier )
a rescue party
-
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the forcible removal of a person from legal custody
-
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
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.
An animal rescue centre says it has seen an increase in cat families being abandoned due to rising costs and a lack of neutering.
From BBC
Despite some species being naturally resilient to wet winters, rescue groups said repeated storms and saturated ground were overwhelming animals' ability to cope.
From BBC
It was at that moment that Alexandra, who cannot swim, decided to climb down a ladder on the water's edge to try and rescue Snickers.
From BBC
The team looks focused, and even if one or two top players are off their games, the magic of being nine deep is knowing there’s always someone ready to come to the rescue.
From Los Angeles Times
Most accidents that occur during climbing are down to "poor planning", says Matt Cooper, a mountain rescue team member in Wales and founder of the Mountaineering Company.
From BBC
Definitions 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.
