rescue
verb
res·cue
ˈre-(ˌ)skyü 
rescued; rescuing
: 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
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
Barbara Deane
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
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
James MacGregor Burns
rescuer
noun
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
Emergency crews, including firefighters and traffic employees, were deployed to help rescue victims, São Paulo mayor, Ricardo Nunes, said earlier.
—Ana Melgar, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
During the fight, Raka gets swept away by the current while trying to rescue Mae.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
The dog, renamed Trooper in honor of the Florida Highway Patrol officer who rescued him, was adopted by a family in South Florida, Frank and Carla Spina of Parkland, and underwent successful surgery in December to remove two cancerous tumors on his left side.
—Ella Thompson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
By time a Coast Guard crew made contact, one of the people needed to be rescued after falling into the water, the spokesperson said.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for rescue 
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Ana Melgar, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
During the fight, Raka gets swept away by the current while trying to rescue Mae.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
The dog, renamed Trooper in honor of the Florida Highway Patrol officer who rescued him, was adopted by a family in South Florida, Frank and Carla Spina of Parkland, and underwent successful surgery in December to remove two cancerous tumors on his left side.
—Ella Thompson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
By time a Coast Guard crew made contact, one of the people needed to be rescued after falling into the water, the spokesperson said.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for rescue
Dictionary Entries Near rescue
Cite this Entry
“Rescue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rescue. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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