have mercy

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiom

   To show kindness and choose not to punish or harm someone who is in your power.

   Grammar: Usually followed by on: have mercy on the prisoner.

   Patterns

   • have mercy on someone

   The judge decided to have mercy on the young offender.

   Please have mercy on us and extend the deadline.

   The king refused to have mercy on the rebels.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformal

   An exclamation of surprise, dismay or amused reaction.

   Grammar: Used alone as a spoken exclamation.

   Patterns

   • Lord, have mercy!
   • Have mercy!

   Have mercy, it's hot out here!

   Lord, have mercy, look at that mess.

   Have mercy, that pie is good.

Common combinations

have mercy on

Have mercy on a tired traveler and let him in.

begged for mercy

He begged for mercy before the court.

Lord, have mercy

Lord, have mercy, the roof is leaking again.

show mercy

The coach decided to show mercy and end the game early.

at the mercy of

The boat was at the mercy of the waves.

Synonyms and how they differ

show pity

Show pity focuses on sympathy for suffering, while have mercy focuses on holding back punishment.

spare

Spare means not harming someone, but it needs an object and lacks the pleading sound of have mercy.

forgive

Forgive means to stop blaming someone, while have mercy often comes before punishment is decided.

be lenient

Be lenient suggests mild treatment in rules or punishment, and is more formal and less emotional.

Opposites

Word family

mercy noun

kindness shown to someone you could punish

merciful adjective

showing mercy

merciless adjective

showing none

mercifully adverb

fortunately

Commonly confused: have mercy or have mercy on?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “have mercy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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