rescue
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to save someone from a dangerous or harmful situation.
v.to save or deliver from violence, danger, or harm. Transitive — requires a direct object.
Simple“The coastguard arrived just in time to rescue the sailors from the sinking boat.”
In context“Emergency services worked through the night to rescue residents trapped in the upper floors of the apartment complex following the flash flood.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to take a pet from a shelter or a bad home to give it a better life.
v.to adopt a domestic animal from a shelter or a situation of neglect.
Simple“They decided to rescue a greyhound from the local animal shelter.”
In context“The family chose to rescue an older dog with special needs, providing it with a stable environment for its final years.”
Synonymsadoptrehome - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to save a situation or a project that is going wrong.
v.to achieve a positive outcome or restore functionality under difficult conditions or after a failure.
Simple“The chef managed to rescue the sauce by adding a little more cream.”
In context“The marketing team scrambled to rescue the campaign after the initial launch received unexpectedly negative feedback from the target demographic.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.the act of saving someone from danger.
n.an instance or episode of saving someone or something from a hazardous situation.
Simple“The mountain rescue took several hours because of the heavy snow.”
In context“The daring sea rescue was captured on film by a bystander, highlighting the extreme risks faced by the helicopter crew.”
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage rescue efforts · rescue teams · rescue services
From Middle English rescouen, from Old French rescoure, rescurre, rescorre; from Latin prefix re- (“re-”) + excutere (“to shake or drive out”), from ex (“out”) + quatiō (“to shake”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.