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

One of the members of the F-15's crew was rescued while a search and rescue mission continued for the other, the officials said. —Tom Liddy, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026

One crew member has been successfully rescued by American forces, while a search-and-rescue mission remains ongoing to locate the second individual. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026

After Iran struck down the F-15, a single-pilot aircraft that was mobilized to support the search and rescue mission also was struck by Iranian fire. —Max Burman, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026

Two helicopters also took part in the search and rescue mission and successfully retrieved the F-15E pilot who had ejected, officials said. —Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 3 Apr. 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