take pity on

Idioms and Phrases

Also, have pity on . Show compassion or mercy to, as in Take pity on the cook and eat that last piece of cake , or, as Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Bible has it (Job 19:21), “Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye, my friends.” This idiom may be used half-jokingly, as in the first example, or seriously. [Late 1200s]

Example Sentences

I waved my arms at the caravan guards and hoped they would take pity on me.

From Literature

I stepped into the light of the doorway so he would see my monkish robes and maybe take pity on us.

From Literature

He told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show: "I am hoping the first minister will take pity on us and give us more money for Angus Council."

From BBC

“I just have to have faith for a miracle to happen and the government to take pity on old people like me.”

From Los Angeles Times

A poor Caribbean couple in Paris take pity on their deposed president when they find him living in poverty and exile.

From New York Times

Related Words

• feel for
• forgive
• pardon