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

North Pole head of security Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) partners with Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans), a scruffy international bounty hunter who's on the naughty list, for an important rescue mission to save Santa in the holiday action comedy. Need a break? —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

Volunteers showed up from across the country to launch search and rescue missions, cook up free meals, help clear mud and debris from homes and otherwise offer moral and emotional support to a community suddenly gripped by scarcity – and mounting grief. —Mackenzie Happe and Zoë Todd, CNN, 26 Oct. 2024

Satellite communications ensure that remote research stations remain connected to the outside world, facilitating scientific collaboration and supporting critical operations like search and rescue missions. —Shelli Brunswick, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

The big picture: Search and rescue missions were underway Tuesday to track down those still unaccounted for in western North Carolina. —Andrew Freedman, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1