Mercy The Oxford dictionary defines mercy as “Forbearance and compassion shown by one person to another who is in his power and who has no claim to receive kindness; kind and compassionate treatment in a case where severity is measured or expected.” (The Oxford English Dictionary). However, mercy can mean many things to many people depending on the situation. In Roman times, showing mercy could mean the difference between life and death while in a modern baseball game a “mercy rule” would merely end the game. This act of mercy would be enforced because the losing team has very little chance of mounting a comeback. In the end, an individual or group who feels sympathy for ano