have mercy/pity

idiom

: to treat someone with mercy or pity
The prisoner begged the judge to have mercy.
usually + on
The prisoner begged the judge to have mercy on him.

Dictionary Entries Near have mercy/pity

Cite this Entry

“Have mercy/pity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have%20mercy%2Fpity. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


A Good Old-Fashioned Quiz

Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY