rescue mission

noun

plural rescue missions

1

: a city religious mission (see mission entry 1 sense 4a) providing social and spiritual assistance to the poor and needy

The nonprofit, Christian-based rescue mission has provided a variety of social services to the poor and homeless over its 55-year history.

—Janet Lavelle

also : the premises of a rescue mission

I used to go quite often to Charleston, West Virginia to speak in the old rescue mission …

—Lee Roberson

2

: an undertaking to rescue someone or something from a dangerous or difficult situation

They kept him alive that way for more than twenty-four hours, waiting for a helicopter rescue mission that came too late.

—Jamie James

After a 12-hour rescue mission, navy personnel were able to tow the animal safely to land.

—Brigit Katz

Examples of rescue mission in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Featuring gripping footage from the rescue mission and firsthand accounts from those involved, Joshua Zeman’s CHECKPOINT ZOO is a tribute to the compassion and humanity that shine in the face of adversity and brutality, offering a powerful new perspective on the unintended consequences of war. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and Maine Search and Rescue Dogs, among others, assisted the Maine Warden Service in the rescue mission. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 15 July 2024

Cue a hilariously inept rescue mission featuring Gang-du’s archery champion sister, his alcoholic brother, and their elderly father. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024

An international search and rescue mission unfolded in the following days, in remote waters several hundred miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. —Jessie Yeung, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1