rescue
REHS-kyoo
Rescue (verb) means to save someone or something from danger, harm, or a difficult situation. Example: “Firefighters rescued the family from the burning building.”
verb
1
To save someone or something from danger, harm, or a difficult situation.
"Firefighters rescued the family from the burning building."
"Volunteers rescued dozens of dogs from the flooded shelter."
"The lifeguard rescued a child who had drifted too far from the beach."
noun
1
An act of saving someone or something from danger.
"The dramatic mountain rescue made national news."
"The rescue of the trapped miners took almost two days."
"Thanks to a quick rescue, nobody was hurt when the boat tipped over."
How to use rescue
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo save someone from danger, or the act of doing so.
Common pairings
rescue mission
come to the rescue
rescue a pet
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Word forms
- Plural
- rescues
- Third person singular
- rescues
- Past tense
- rescued
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Firefighters _____ the family from the burning building.
Etymology
From Old French rescourre, ultimately from Latin excutere, "to shake out," combined with the prefix re-.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for rescue
See all rhymes for rescue →Frequently asked questions
What does “rescue” mean?
The word “rescue” means to save someone or something from danger, harm, or a difficult situation. In plain terms, to save someone from danger, or the act of doing so.
How do you pronounce “rescue”?
“Rescue” is pronounced REHS-kyoo (/ˈɹɛs.kju/ in IPA).
How do you use “rescue” in a sentence?
Here is “rescue” used in a sentence: “Firefighters rescued the family from the burning building.”
What part of speech is “rescue”?
Depending on how it is used, “rescue” can be a verb and a noun.
Where does the word “rescue” come from?
The word “rescue” comes from Latin. From Old French rescourre, ultimately from Latin excutere, "to shake out," combined with the prefix re-.
Is “rescue” a common word?
“Rescue” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “rescue” have?
“Rescue” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to save someone or something from danger, harm, or a difficult situation.
What is the difference between rescue and save?
The two overlap, but rescue stresses actively removing someone from immediate danger, often through effort or bravery, as when firefighters rescue a trapped resident. Save is broader: you can save someone from danger, but also save money, time, or a file. Every rescue is a kind of saving, though not the reverse.
What are the types of rescue?
Rescue work is often grouped by setting. Search and rescue covers finding missing people; water or sea rescue handles drowning and boating emergencies; mountain rescue deals with climbers and hikers; and animal rescue saves pets and wildlife. Emergency services, coastguards, and volunteer teams carry out this work.
What is an example of a rescue?
A lifeguard swimming out to bring a struggling swimmer back to shore is a classic rescue. So is pulling someone from a burning building, freeing a driver from a crashed car, or airlifting stranded hikers to safety. Each removes a person from danger they could not escape alone.
What is the opposite of rescue?
The clearest opposites are to abandon or desert, leaving someone in danger instead of helping them. Words like endanger, trap, or imperil also contrast with rescue, since they put someone at risk rather than removing them from it. Rescue is about relief, so its opposites involve neglect or harm.
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