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

Urban growth adds strain around river corridors and roads, but none of that makes COP17 a rescue mission. —William Jones, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

With a price tag of $150,000, Jetson is positioning its vehicle not as a toy for the wealthy but as a potential tool for first responders and mountain rescue missions. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025

The Red Cross is supporting preparedness operations, preventive evacuations, rescue missions, and the distribution of essential supplies like food and clean water. —Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

The gear was wrapped around the pectoral flipper and across the whale’s back through the mouth area, and multiple rescue missions were unsuccessful, the post said. —Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rescue mission

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition