at the mercy of

phrase

: wholly in the power of : with no way to protect oneself against

We were at the mercy of the weather.

Examples of at the mercy of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The treasurer sent the district $33 million on Thursday and pledged more would come soon, but her office is at the mercy of others to get the bills out the door. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Curate Groups Around Your Niche A private newsletter, podcast or membership group gives you direct access to your audience without being at the mercy of algorithm changes or pay-to-play reach. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Karma quickly caught up to Nate, however, after bad business decisions put him at the mercy of Naz, a mortuary mogul who would stop at nothing to bury him, literally. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026

Tupper’s Mick, at the mercy of his brittle fetishes, may be the most believable of this quartet. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for at the mercy of

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