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

An emergency physician by training, Menon had practiced medicine on Mount Everest, provided relief in Port-au-Prince after a devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, and flown search-and-rescue missions with the US military in Afghanistan. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026

Taylor Franklin, an HC-130 pilot who participated in the rescue mission, said, per the news release. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026

In 1951, Neal crashed in the mountains of North Korea during a helicopter rescue mission. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026

Just like the search and rescue team in the disaster zone, the three-member Deployment Support Team in Pacoima was on duty 24 hours a day throughout the rescue mission. — Seamus Bozeman follow, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

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