rescue

verb

res·​cue ˈre-(ˌ)skyü 

rescued; rescuing

transitive verb

: to free from confinement, danger, or evil : save, deliver

They were rescued from the burning building by firefighters.

… a volunteer group that rescues and nurtures injured and orphaned wildlife …

—Australian Geographic

(figurative) … the acanthus leaf into which the light fixture on the hall ceiling is set was rescued from a curbside trash heap.

—Barbara Deane

: such as

a

: to take (someone, such as a prisoner) forcibly from custody

b

: to recover (something, such as a prize) by force

c

: to deliver (a place under siege) by armed force

rescuable

ˈre-(ˌ)skyü-ə-bəl 

adjective

rescue noun

Historians are wary of the notion that, at a critical point in history, a heroic figure, galloping to the rescue, snatches victory from the jaws of defeat …

—James MacGregor Burns

rescuer noun

Synonyms of rescue

• save
• salvage

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of rescue in a Sentence

The survivors were rescued by the Coast Guard.

an all-out effort to rescue a beached whale

Recent Examples on the Web

Clearly, humans were responsible for much worse than failing to rescue the creature. —Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026

He was twice awarded the commissioner’s unit citation — for saving the lives of multiple residents during a six-alarm fire in 1998, and for rescuing several people trapped in a bus with severe roof damage in 2013. —Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026

What started out as a drug investigation resulted in Joliet police rescuing several hens, roosters and baby chicks from two men believed to have used some of the animals for fighting, authorities said. —Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Four years later, his old friend Paul Rayburn (Bobby Cannavale) arrives to rescue him from himself, carting him down to Rio, where Rayburn is working for a security company on a construction site — there is a presidential election coming, and protests are feared. —Robert Lloyd, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rescouen, rescuen, from Anglo-French rescure, from re- + escure to shake off, from Latin excutere, from ex- + quatere to shake

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rescue

• come/go to the rescue of
• rescue mission
• search and rescue team

Kids Definition

rescue

verb

res·​cue ˈres-kyü 

rescued; rescuing

: to free from danger or evil : save

rescue noun

rescuer noun