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

Their worries center on the possibility of catastrophic or existential outcomes, such as the death of humanity at the hands of autonomous machines. — Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026

The National Resistance Forces is made up largely of Yemenis from the north, led by a commander related to the country’s former autocrat, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who died at the hands of the Houthis in 2017. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

That notion reached its pinnacle after the Chiefs beat the Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game but was punctured by their 40-22 clobbering at the hands of the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

The movements that arose out of the deaths of Black people at the hands of largely white police officers and the systematic abuse of women by powerful men were hallmarks of 21st-century progressive thinking. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 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