Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

rescue

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of rescue

the saving from danger or evil
  • stranded people hoping for rescue from the rising floodwaters
Synonyms of rescue

deliverance, salvation
Words Related to rescue

ransom, recovery, redemption

extrication

defense, guard, protection, safeguard, safeguarding, security

conservation, guardianship, preservation, safekeeping

rescue

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of rescue

to remove from danger or harm
  • an all-out effort to rescue a beached whale
Synonyms of rescue

bail out, bring off, deliver, save
Words Related to rescue

salvage

emancipate, free, liberate, manumit, release

disentangle, extricate

recover
Antonyms of rescue

adventure, compromise, endanger, gamble (with), hazard, imperil, jeopardize, peril, risk, venture

Synonym Discussion of rescue

rescue, deliver, redeem, ransom, reclaim, save mean to set free from confinement or danger. rescue implies freeing from imminent danger by prompt or vigorous action.
    • rescued the crew of a sinking ship
deliver implies release usually of a person from confinement, temptation, slavery, or suffering.
    • delivered his people from bondage
redeem implies releasing from bondage or penalties by giving what is demanded or necessary.
    • job training designed to redeem school dropouts from chronic unemployment
ransom specifically applies to buying out of captivity.
    • tried to ransom the kidnap victim
reclaim suggests a bringing back to a former state or condition of someone or something abandoned or debased.
    • reclaimed long-abandoned farms
save may replace any of the foregoing terms; it may further imply a preserving or maintaining for usefulness or continued existence.
    • an operation that saved my life

Learn More about rescue

  1. Dictionary: Definition of rescue Spanish Central: Translation of rescue Nglish: Translation of rescue for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rescue for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up rescue? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

obsequious

marked by fawning attentiveness

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. crosshair Roger Stone posts controversial photo

  2. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  3. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games