rescue

To rescue someone is to provide help or save a person from difficulty, or even death.

• Hundreds of people needed to be rescued when their boat began to sink.
• A rescue effort was quickly organized for a little girl who was lost in the woods.
• Up and down the east coast, people affected by the storm are being rescued from their homes.
• The rescue of storm survivors could take several days.
• Rescue vehicles are at the scene of the fire.

Someone is going to have to rescue him from the water!

You can also use the word "rescue" when describing a business or an organization:

• General Motors was rescued by the federal government and avoided financial collapse.
• An animal shelter that was on the verge of shutting down due to lack of funds was rescued by an anonymous donor.
• Alumni came to the rescue of a school that was nearly bankrupt. (alumni = people who graduated from the school)

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First published on October 30, 2012

Updated on August 28, 2017