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

This Western-horror hybrid follows a group of men who set out on a dangerous rescue mission after a local woman, Samantha O'Dwyer (Lili Simmons), is kidnapped by a group of cave-dwelling, cannibalistic Troglodytes. —Travis Bean, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024

Their deaths are even more devastating because the flight began as a rescue mission. —Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2024

In a scene straight out of an action movie, Macomb County Sheriff's deputies pulled off a Hollywood-esque rescue mission to save a driver having a medical emergency. —Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 20 Sep. 2024

Yet the rescue mission’s failure only strengthened public perceptions of the president’s weakness on foreign policy and contributed to Carter’s loss. —Jeffrey A. Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1