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
Disaster struck when a team of firefighters trying to rescue two comrades trapped in the building were themselves imperiled by a collapsing wall.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
Two people from the boat washed up on Little Rock Jetty just to the north of the incident and were rescued by lifeguards, Romero said.
—Gary Warth, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025
But when the Red Army arrived in early 1945, the majority of these prisoners were gone—rushed out of the camps on death marches designed in part to prevent large numbers of prisoners from being rescued by the Allies.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the remains of dozens more, at least three of them mistakenly killed by Israeli forces.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for rescue 
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Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
Two people from the boat washed up on Little Rock Jetty just to the north of the incident and were rescued by lifeguards, Romero said.
—Gary Warth, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025
But when the Red Army arrived in early 1945, the majority of these prisoners were gone—rushed out of the camps on death marches designed in part to prevent large numbers of prisoners from being rescued by the Allies.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the remains of dozens more, at least three of them mistakenly killed by Israeli forces.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, TIME, 27 Jan. 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 31 Jan. 2025.
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