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

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sat for an interview, focusing solely on the rescue mission. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Officials said crews were unable to launch a rescue mission until Monday morning due to weather and poor visibility. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026

In recent years, cockroaches have been utilized to play a very important role in urban search-and-rescue missions. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2026

The film follows a young girl named Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), who launches a desperate rescue mission and is joined by her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) to save her baby brother from a murder of crows. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Sep. 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