at the mercy of
Idioms-
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]
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Without any protection against, as in On top of Mount Washington we were at the mercy of the elements . [Late 1600s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The entire stock market will soon become, for all intents and purposes, the meme-stock market, and your retirement accounts are at the mercy of their whims.
From Slate • May 15, 2026
“I actually don’t know what the timeframe for that is and would be somewhat at the mercy of the regulators as to when that approval would take place.”
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
“You’re not the buyer—you are at the mercy of these colleges.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
"We are at the mercy of the affordability crisis," he told AFP at Gigi's, a small, wooden-floored restaurant in a trendy Brooklyn neighborhood.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
Most of these boys knew nothing of racing when they began and were completely at the mercy of their trainers.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
