at the hands of

phrase

variants or less commonly at the hand of

: by or through the action of

suffering at the hands of a cruel dictator

Examples of at the hands of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But Ormund’s real secret weapon is Ulf, who has suffered enough indignity at the hands of the Blacks, or so he’s been persuaded. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026

After another frustrating defeat for the Phillies on Friday at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles, the veteran executive delivered a message that didn't require a press conference. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Pentheus, for his part, is curious to witness his mother under the spell of Bacchic rites, and this curiosity results in his death at the hands of Agave, unable to recognize her own son due to her Dionysian frenzy. — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2026

The story follows exiled prince Rama (Ranbir Kapoor) and his consort Sita (Sai Pallavi) through exile into catastrophe, as Sita’s abduction at the hands of Ravana (Yash) sets in motion an epic war between righteousness and evil. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for at the hands of

• hereinabove
• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove