I. res ‧ cue 1 S3 W3 /ˈreskjuː/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: rescourre , from escourre 'to shake out' , from Latin excutere ]
to save someone or something from a situation of danger or harm:
Survivors of the crash were rescued by helicopter.
rescue somebody/something from somebody/something
She died trying to rescue her children from the blaze.
—rescuer noun [countable]
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THESAURUS
▪ rescue to remove someone from a dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant situation:
Firefighters worked for two hours to rescue people from the building.
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Will you rescue me if I get stuck talking to Sam?
▪ come to the rescue/sb’s rescue to come and rescue or help someone:
It was an embarrassing moment, but fortunately Paul came to the rescue.
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Several people saw I was in trouble, but no one came to my rescue.
▪ save to prevent someone from being killed, harmed, or losing something, or to make it possible for something to continue:
Wearing a seat belt can help save your life.
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They saved the hospital from closure.
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If you break down in the desert, there is no one there to save you.
▪ pick somebody up to rescue someone from a dangerous place by taking them away in a boat or aircraft:
A lifeboat picked them up two miles from the coast.
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They spent the night near the top of the mountain, before being picked up by a helicopter.
▪ bail somebody out to rescue a person, company etc from a difficult situation, by providing them with the money they need:
A number of state-owned enterprises have been bailed out by the central bank.
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He owed thousands of pounds and his mother had to bail him out.
II. rescue 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
1 . when someone or something is rescued from danger:
a daring rescue at sea
rescue of
Storms delayed the rescue of the crash victims.
Rescue workers arrived at the scene two hours later.
rescue mission/operation
The rescue operation proved successful.
2 . come to the/sb’s rescue
a) to save someone who is in a dangerous situation:
A lifeboat came to the yachtsman’s rescue.
b) to help someone who is having problems or difficulties:
Carol’s brother came to the rescue and sent her $1000.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a dramatic rescue
A woman is in hospital following a dramatic rescue from her blazing flat.
▪ a daring rescue
The lifeboat crew has been honoured for a daring rescue on the Cleveland coast.
■ verbs
▪ attempt/mount a rescue (=try to rescue someone)
The stormy conditions made it impossible to mount a rescue.
■ rescue + NOUN
▪ a rescue attempt/effort
One fire fighter was severely burned in the rescue attempt.
▪ a rescue operation/mission
A major rescue operation was launched yesterday after two divers were reported missing.
▪ a rescue worker
Rescue workers are searching through the rubble for survivors.
▪ a rescue team
He was still conscious when the rescue team arrived.
▪ a rescue helicopter/boat/ship
A rescue helicopter is on its way.
▪ a rescue plan/package (=plan to save a company, economy etc that is in trouble)
They drew up a rescue plan that involved restructuring the firm.