at the mercy of

Idioms  

1. Also, at someone's mercy . Subject to the power of, helpless against, as in The captured rebels were at the mercy of the army commander . [Late 1500s]

2. Without any protection against, as in On top of Mount Washington we were at the mercy of the elements . [Late 1600s]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at the mercy of

"What we want is to establish an open and transparent profit-sharing system," Lin said, rejecting the company’s one-off bonus, which he said left employees "at the mercy of management".

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Children have always been at the mercy of adult judgment and misjudgment about what is either healthful or au courant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

He noted that creators making 2000s-style content on other platforms are often at the "mercy" of algorithms.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

“You’re kind of at the mercy of the customer-service department,” said Jackie Mondelli, chief marketing officer at Squaremouth, a travel-insurance comparison business.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Tied to the new cars are balloons bouncing around at the mercy of the wind.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---