compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence.
Have mercy on the poor sinner.
the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing.
an adversary wholly without mercy.
the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
an act of kindness, compassion, or favor.
She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.
something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing.
It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.
compassionate treatment of or attitude towards an offender, adversary, etc, who is in one's power or care; clemency; pity
the power to show mercy
to throw oneself on someone's mercy
a relieving or welcome occurrence or state of affairs
his death was a mercy after weeks of pain
in the power of
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English merci, from Old French, earlier mercit, from Latin mercēd-, stem of mercēs “wages” ( Late Latin, Medieval Latin: “heavenly reward”), derivative of merc-, stem of merx “commodity, goods, merchandise”
Compassion leads you to have mercy, which is like forgiveness. If you have mercy on someone, you let them off the hook or are kind to them somehow. This is a quality that has to do with compassion, forgiveness, and leniency. If convicted of a crime, you might plead for the judge's mercy, meaning a lesser punishment. When people say "May God have mercy on me!" they're asking for forgiveness. Mercy may be given or received. You might show your little cousin mercy by not forcing him to eat a worm. People jokingly say a bad singer is showing mercy if she ends the show early.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I grew up with cats, dogs, birds, rats and bunnies, and my husband and I have a mutt, Mercy, whom we love dearly.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
While discussing God, Ed would quote Michael Himes, “There is nothing we can do to make God not love us,” and the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, “Mercy, within Mercy, within Mercy.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Doctors at St. Louis-based Mercy, which runs birthing hospitals in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, began noticing an uptick in families turning down the vitamin K shot during the pandemic.
From Salon • May 7, 2026
Mercy Mutemi a lawyer representing the petitioners, who is also executive director of campaign group the Oversight Lab, said Meta's statement should be a warning to the Kenyan government.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
Letting his hands fall to his sides, Reed drew the Lady of Mercy.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
