mercymer‧cy /ˈmɜːsi $ ˈmɜːrsi/ ●●○ noun 
He showed no mercy to his enemies. God have mercy on his soul.beg/cry/plead for mercy The boy was screaming and begging for mercy.2at the mercy of somebody/something unable to do anything to protect yourself from someone or something: After the boat’s motor failed, they were at the mercy of the weather. She was completely at his mercy.3mercy flight/mission etc a journey taken to bring help to people: a mercy mission to help homeless refugees4leave somebody to somebody’s (tender) mercies to let someone be dealt with by another person, who may treat them very badly or strictly – used humorously5throw yourself on somebody’s mercy to ask someone to help you or forgive you when you are in a very bad situation6it’s a mercy (that) spoken used to say that it is lucky that a worse situation was avoided: It’s a mercy the accident happened so near the hospital. → be thankful/grateful for small mercies at small1(13)COLLOCATIONSphraseshave mercy (on somebody) (=act in a kind or forgiving way - often used to express a hope or prayer)· ‘God have mercy on me!’ Miss Barton cried.show mercy (to somebody) (=act in a kind or forgiving way)· He showed no mercy to those who had angered him.ask for mercy· The only thing I can do now is ask for mercy.beg/plead for mercy (=ask in a desperate way for someone's mercy)· She continued the punishment, although they begged for mercy.scream/cry for mercy· He screamed for mercy, shouting 'don't shoot!'.adjectivesgreat mercy· God in his great mercy has forgiven you.God's mercy· Will we still receive God's mercy if we refuse to repent?divine mercy (=the mercy of God)· He did not lose his faith in God and divine mercy.infinite mercy (=the quality of mercy that God has, which never ends)· He expressed his thanks for the infinite mercy of God in helping him escape from his own sinful life.
WORD ORIGINmercy
Origin:
1100-1200 Old French merci, from Latin merces ‘price paid, payment for work’, from merx ‘things for sale’EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Mercy, mercy, mercy, he croaked, his first surrender to fatalism.
- Even compassion for a man so much at the mercy of his physical urges.
- It is not that they showed no mercy on the streets of Jericho.
- Priest: Lord, have mercy.
- This man had no mercy on the people he killed.
- We are at the mercy of our own detachment.
- With monarchy, the essential problem is that power is put at the mercy of relatives and genetics.
Longman Language Activatorto be controlled by someone else
· The whole town seems to be under the control of one family.· Almost three thousand troops are under Captain Marsh's control.· Roughly a quarter of the area came under Soviet control.
if you are in someone's power you have to do whatever they want you to do, especially because they have some emotional power over you - used especially in literature: · He'll do whatever I tell him to do. He's completely in my power.
if you are under someone's spell they have almost complete power over how you feel, the way you behave etc especially because you love or admire them very much: · Harry knew that he was in love with Susie, completely under her spell.come/fall under somebody's spell (=start to be under someone's spell): · She loves the company of showbiz personalities, and many have fallen under her spell.
if you are at someone's mercy they have the power to decide whether good or bad things happen to you: · Once in prison, inmates are at the guards' mercy.· Children often find themselves at the mercy of other kids who are older and bigger.to be at the mercy of somebody: · Small firms are completely at the mercy of the banks.
informal someone who lets other people treat them badly and who does not complain or try to change their situation: · Fiona was determined that she would be nobody's doormat.· Make sure he doesn't treat you like a doormat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYphrases We could hear the prisoners begging for mercy. He quickly set out on his errand of mercy (=journey to help someone in danger).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
(=act in a kind or forgiving way - often used to express a hope or prayer)· ‘God have mercy on me!’ Miss Barton cried.
(=act in a kind or forgiving way)· He showed no mercy to those who had angered him.
· The only thing I can do now is ask for mercy.
(=ask in a desperate way for someone's mercy)· She continued the punishment, although they begged for mercy.
· He screamed for mercy, shouting 'don't shoot!'.
adjectives· God in his great mercy has forgiven you.
· Will we still receive God's mercy if we refuse to repent?
(=the mercy of God)· He did not lose his faith in God and divine mercy.
(=the quality of mercy that God has, which never ends)· He expressed his thanks for the infinite mercy of God in helping him escape from his own sinful life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES We could hear the prisoners begging for mercy. He quickly set out on his errand of mercy (=journey to help someone in danger).· A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed last night that Stansted would be used for all future mercy flights.
· Frankly, it would have been a mercy killing.· So this would almost be a mercy killing.· Among those receiving probation orders will be those for whom the section 2 defence is used to mitigate a mercy killing.
· Soldiers now face the harsh reality of their mercy mission in the barren country.· The authorities also believe if these mercy missions continue it could present long term problems.· It was the first and last time I was to fly on one of its mercy missions.· With United Nations help, it's hoped this mercy mission will be the first of many.· Rival warlords are also holding up mercy missions with feuds over contracts to take food to drought-ravaged towns and villages.· I had heard of the many mercy missions of the ruler's private planes.· They already have a Hercules plane running mercy missions to Sarajevo.· It's undertaken a number of mercy missions such as to the Kurds.
VERB· Nomatterwhat the situation, she would not ask Nicolo for mercy.
· I wanted to cry, weep and beg the Almighty for mercy.· Leonor has begged mercy for Manrique but the Count refuses.· Mad faces pushed against the grilles in the doors, tortured ones begging for mercy.
· Could make him cry for mercy.· In self-defense Jack calls on his stick, which beats the father until he cries for mercy.· They cried for mercy but their pleas were met with abuse and laughter.
· Lord in your mercy - hear our prayer.· Lord, in Your mercy Hear our prayer.
· Either by accident or as punishment for his sins, she had left him to the mercy of the Bogeyman.· Abolitionists in both the North and South were left to the mercy of local officials who usually refused protection.
· The elder brother was shot in the stomach as he knelt pleading for mercy.· The class have to plead for mercy on his behalf, but the King's envoy will only accept written pleas.· The killer was not hit but lay pleading for mercy.
· With monarchy, the essential problem is that power is put at the mercy of relatives and genetics.· No industrialist liked to put himself at the mercy of creditors.
· They showed a mercy to house and land which they denied to flesh and blood.· He showed no mercy to his beaten adversaries, dead or alive.· It is not that they showed no mercy on the streets of Jericho.· The forest had cornered its greatest enemy, and would show no mercy.· And hey, the Wizard King could show mercy too.· He showed no mercy to anyone.
· You're so sweet I just wanted to throw myself on your mercy and beg you to help me.· I would throw myself on the mercy of the circuit-house, usually reserved for traveling politicians and sundry bigwigs.· For a craven moment she was tempted to go back and throw herself on the mercy of the landlady.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► it’s a mercy (that)► leave somebody to somebody’s (tender) merciesPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[uncountable] if someone shows mercy, they choose to forgive or to be kind to someone who they have the power to hurt or punish: - Having lost engine power, the boat's crew found themselves at the mercy of the wind.
- Once again Oliver is separated from his friends and left at the mercy of strangers.
- But like Jim, she soon found herself at the mercy of events.
- Even compassion for a man so much at the mercy of his physical urges.
- He says you're at the mercy of the elements and you just go where the weather takes you.
- Putting him at the mercy of men like you, Creller?
- Ten miles straight up, at the mercy of bears, leopards and tigers.
- With monarchy, the essential problem is that power is put at the mercy of relatives and genetics.
- With that relationship gone, they are at the mercy of more laws and more political meddling.
- You are at the mercy of the man upstairs.
- A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed last night that Stansted would be used for all future mercy flights.
- I had heard of the many mercy missions of the ruler's private planes.
- It was the first and last time I was to fly on one of its mercy missions.
- Rival warlords are also holding up mercy missions with feuds over contracts to take food to drought-ravaged towns and villages.
- Soldiers now face the harsh reality of their mercy mission in the barren country.
- The authorities also believe if these mercy missions continue it could present long term problems.
- They already have a Hercules plane running mercy missions to Sarajevo.
- With United Nations help, it's hoped this mercy mission will be the first of many.
- For a craven moment she was tempted to go back and throw herself on the mercy of the landlady.
- I would throw myself on the mercy of the circuit-house, usually reserved for traveling politicians and sundry bigwigs.
- You're so sweet I just wanted to throw myself on your mercy and beg you to help me.
- From now on she could be grateful for small mercies and be content to take one step at a time.
- She wondered wryly whether to be thankful for small mercies, or to feel insulted.
He showed no mercy to his enemies. God have mercy on his soul.beg/cry/plead for mercy The boy was screaming and begging for mercy.2at the mercy of somebody/something unable to do anything to protect yourself from someone or something: After the boat’s motor failed, they were at the mercy of the weather. She was completely at his mercy.3mercy flight/mission etc a journey taken to bring help to people: a mercy mission to help homeless refugees4leave somebody to somebody’s (tender) mercies to let someone be dealt with by another person, who may treat them very badly or strictly – used humorously5throw yourself on somebody’s mercy to ask someone to help you or forgive you when you are in a very bad situation6it’s a mercy (that) spoken used to say that it is lucky that a worse situation was avoided: It’s a mercy the accident happened so near the hospital. → be thankful/grateful for small mercies at small1(13)COLLOCATIONSphraseshave mercy (on somebody) (=act in a kind or forgiving way - often used to express a hope or prayer)· ‘God have mercy on me!’ Miss Barton cried.show mercy (to somebody) (=act in a kind or forgiving way)· He showed no mercy to those who had angered him.ask for mercy· The only thing I can do now is ask for mercy.beg/plead for mercy (=ask in a desperate way for someone's mercy)· She continued the punishment, although they begged for mercy.scream/cry for mercy· He screamed for mercy, shouting 'don't shoot!'.adjectivesgreat mercy· God in his great mercy has forgiven you.God's mercy· Will we still receive God's mercy if we refuse to repent?divine mercy (=the mercy of God)· He did not lose his faith in God and divine mercy.infinite mercy (=the quality of mercy that God has, which never ends)· He expressed his thanks for the infinite mercy of God in helping him escape from his own sinful life.