# rescue

/ˈɹɛskju/ (US) · /ɹˈɛskjuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rescue
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to save from danger

verb · CEFR B1

to save someone from a dangerous or harmful situation.

For teachers: to save or deliver from violence, danger, or harm. Transitive — requires a direct object.

- The coastguard arrived just in time to rescue the sailors from the sinking boat.
- Emergency services worked through the night to rescue residents trapped in the upper floors of the apartment complex following the flash flood.

### 2. to adopt an animal

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to take a pet from a shelter or a bad home to give it a better life.

For teachers: to adopt a domestic animal from a shelter or a situation of neglect.

- They decided to rescue a greyhound from the local animal shelter.
- The family chose to rescue an older dog with special needs, providing it with a stable environment for its final years.

### 3. to fix a failure

verb · CEFR B2

to save a situation or a project that is going wrong.

For teachers: to achieve a positive outcome or restore functionality under difficult conditions or after a failure.

- The chef managed to rescue the sauce by adding a little more cream.
- The marketing team scrambled to rescue the campaign after the initial launch received unexpectedly negative feedback from the target demographic.

### 4. the act of saving

noun · CEFR B1

the act of saving someone from danger.

For teachers: an instance or episode of saving someone or something from a hazardous situation.

- The mountain rescue took several hours because of the heavy snow.
- The daring sea rescue was captured on film by a bystander, highlighting the extreme risks faced by the helicopter crew.

## Examples

- The mountain rescue took several hours in the heavy snow.
- Firefighters arrived quickly to perform a daring rescue of the family trapped on the top floor.
- The successful rescue of the stranded hikers required a coordinated effort between local volunteers and the national guard, given the treacherous weather conditions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.