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# mercy

«mercy» in Mova's school dictionary: **kindness or forgiveness shown to someone you could punish…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (mercy, mercies)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Mercy is kindness or forgiveness shown to someone you could punish or hurt. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#m1)

2) (church) Christians, Jews and Muslims believe God is full of mercy, forgiving people who turn back to him. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#m2)

3) A mercy is a lucky thing that you are thankful for: "It's a mercy nobody was hurt." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#m3)

4) "At the mercy of" means in the power of someone or something. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#m4)

5) "For mercy's sake" is an expression people use to beg someone urgently to stop or spare them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In stories a hero shows mercy to a beaten enemy; a cruel king shows none. In church services people pray "Lord, have mercy". In news, "a mercy mission" brings help to people in danger. Phrases: have mercy, show mercy, beg for mercy, at the mercy of, it's a mercy that, mercy me (old exclamation).

### examples

- The king showed mercy and let the prisoner go. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#x1)
- "Lord, have mercy," prayed the people. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#x2)
- The little boat was at the mercy of the waves. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#x3)
- It's a mercy the rain stopped before the match. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#x4)
- The robber begged for mercy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#x5)
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#x6)
- The helicopter flew a mercy mission to the island. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/#x7)

### note

Mostly uncountable; plural mercies in "small mercies" (things to be glad about). Adjective merciful, merciless. Mercy is not the same as justice: justice gives what is fair; mercy gives more kindness than is deserved.

### In the corpora

- [Many Christians believe God will judge everyone fairly and with mercy; beliefs about hell differ widely and are disputed.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/22-prayer-forgiveness-grace-and-heaven/19/)
- [Taking is wrong, but people disagree about how much need and mercy should change the punishment (disputed).](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/42-finders-keepers-and-what-belongs-to-whom/17/)
- [Christians believe in forgiveness, and that justice and mercy can work together.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/49-rights-duties-and-community/15/)
- [Vets suggest this when an animal is very ill or in pain and cannot get better; it is often called a mercy.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/7/)
- [Proverbs 28:13: "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/82-trust-that-breaks-and-takes-long-to-mend/14/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «mercy» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mercy/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.