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

Lestat’s story is jarringly but effectively juxtaposed with Louis’ in a butcher shop where he’s being tortured at the hands of Armand (Assad Zaman). — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

The tragic murder of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, allegedly at the hands of their son Nick Reiner, left Hollywood in shock and the Reiner family facing unspeakable grief. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 20 July 2026

Having not resigned after England’s elimination at the hands of Argentina in Atlanta, Thomas Tuchel could barely contain his excitement at playing the third-place play-off against France. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 19 July 2026

The shootings in Maine and Texas were just the latest civilian deaths at the hands of ICE agents, who have attempted to intimidate witnesses following its recent spate of high-profile killings. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 19 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