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

Under the current SafeSport format, parents remain at the mercy of those same NGBs when seeking to determine if the individual coaching their child or playing next to them has a history of abuse. — Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 31 Aug. 2026

The narrator is vulnerable, pleading, totally at the mercy of the other woman. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026

Hathaway plays a suburban mom whose neighborhood is suddenly and mysteriously transported from 1982 to prehistoric times, putting family and neighbors at the mercy of hungry dinosaurs. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026

But Melody and Mallory don't want to be at the mercy of the icons any longer. — Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 20 Aug. 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