rescue mission

noun

plural rescue missions

1

: a city religious mission (see mission entry 1 sense 4a) providing social and spiritual assistance to the poor and needy

The nonprofit, Christian-based rescue mission has provided a variety of social services to the poor and homeless over its 55-year history.

—Janet Lavelle

also : the premises of a rescue mission

I used to go quite often to Charleston, West Virginia to speak in the old rescue mission …

—Lee Roberson

2

: an undertaking to rescue someone or something from a dangerous or difficult situation

They kept him alive that way for more than twenty-four hours, waiting for a helicopter rescue mission that came too late.

—Jamie James

After a 12-hour rescue mission, navy personnel were able to tow the animal safely to land.

—Brigit Katz

Examples of rescue mission in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The rescue mission has underlined the complexity of freeing prisoners held either underground or among civilians, highlighting for many the urgent necessity of a deal to get back the remaining 120 hostages, many of whom are deemed to be already dead. —Shoshanna Solomon, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2024

There can be a rescue mission like what happened yesterday. —ABC News, 9 June 2024

Guests online stated that Icon of the Seas halted its course for approximately two hours to complete the search and rescue mission. —Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 28 May 2024

In response, Washington launched a rescue mission that turned into a debacle. —Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1