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

Missouri heads into the bye week following back-to-back losses at the hands of the SEC’s Mississippi schools. — Pj Green october 17, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026

Desperate to get that handsome life back, Hagen undergoes an experimental procedure at the hands of a scientist (Naomi Ackie) that initially works only to give way to a scary new reality with shape-shifting skin. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

The lawmakers also pointed to other violent murders in the county at the hands of violent offenders, like the murder of Benjamin Brallier, an off-duty Liquor Control Enforcement agent who was stabbed on the Montour Trail. — Josh Taylor, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Just two years later and the Sun Devils now sit at 2-2 with an anemic offense, fresh off a beatdown at the hands of Baylor, a team currently employing a coach who was on a ridiculously hot seat himself just a month earlier. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 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