4 PHRASE [with poss] If one person or thing is at the mercy of another, the first person or thing is in a situation where they cannot prevent themselves being harmed or affected by the second. □ Buildings are left to decay at the mercy of vandals and the weather.
5 PHRASE If you tell someone who is in an unpleasant situation that they should be grateful or thankful for small mercies , you mean that although their situation is bad, it could be even worse, and so they should be happy. □ The team and fans would have been grateful for small mercies.
me r|cy kill|ing (mercy killings ) N‑VAR A mercy killing is an act of killing someone who is very ill, in order to stop them suffering any more pain.
mere ◆◇◇ /m I ə r / (merest ) Mere does not have a comparative form. The superlative form merest is used to emphasize how small something is, rather than in comparisons. 1 ADJ [ADJ n] You use mere to emphasize how unimportant or inadequate something is, in comparison to the general situation you are describing. [EMPHASIS ] □ …successful exhibitions which go beyond mere success. □ There is more to good health than the mere absence of disease. □ She'd never received the merest hint of any communication from him.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] You use mere to indicate that a quality or action that is usually unimportant has a very important or strong effect. □ The mere mention of food had triggered off hunger pangs. □ The team manager has been quick to clamp down on the merest hint of complacency.
3 ADJ You use mere to emphasize how small a particular amount or number is. [EMPHASIS ] □ Sixty per cent of teachers are women, but a mere 5 percent of women are heads and deputies.
mere|ly ◆◇◇ /m I ə r li/
1 ADV [ADV before v] You use merely to emphasize that something is only what you say and not better, more important, or more exciting. [EMPHASIS ] □ Michael is now merely a good friend. □ They are offering merely technical assistance.
2 ADV You use merely to emphasize that a particular amount or quantity is very small. [EMPHASIS ] □ The brain accounts for merely three per cent of body weight.
3 PHRASE You use not merely before the less important of two contrasting statements, as a way of emphasizing the more important statement. [EMPHASIS ] □ The team needs players who want to play cricket for England, not merely any country that will have them.
mer|etri|cious /me r I tr I ʃəs/ ADJ If you describe something as meretricious , you disapprove of it because although it looks attractive it is actually of little value. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ …vulgar, meretricious and shabby souvenirs.
merge /mɜː r dʒ/ (merges , merging , merged )
1 VERB If one thing merges with another, or is merged with another, they combine or come together to make one whole thing. You can also say that two things merge , or are merged . □ [V + with ] The company had merged with its rival the previous December. □ [V ] The rivers merge just north of a vital irrigation system. □ [V + into ] The two countries merged into one. □ [V n] He sees sense in merging the two agencies while both are new. □ [V n + with ] Then he showed me how to merge the graphic with text on the same screen. [Also V n + into ]
2 VERB If one sound, colour, or object merges into another, the first changes so gradually into the second that you do not notice the change. □ [V + into ] Like a chameleon, he could merge unobtrusively into the background. □ [V + with ] His features merged with the darkness. □ [V ] Night and day begin to merge.
mer|ger ◆◇◇ /mɜː r dʒə r / (mergers ) N‑COUNT A merger is the joining together of two separate companies or organizations so that they become one. [BUSINESS ] □ …a merger between two of Britain's biggest trades unions. SYNONYMS merger NOUN
union: The majority in this province voted for union with Romania.
fusion: His final reform was the fusion of regular and reserve forces.
me|rid|ian /mər I diən/ (meridians ) N‑COUNT A meridian is an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole. Meridians are drawn on maps to help you describe the position of a place.
me|ringue /məræ ŋ/ (meringues ) N‑VAR Meringue is a mixture of beaten egg whites and sugar which is baked in the oven.
mer|it /me r I t/ (merits , meriting , merited )
1 N‑UNCOUNT If something has merit , it has good or worthwhile qualities. □ The argument seemed to have considerable merit. □ Box-office success mattered more than artistic merit.
2 N‑PLURAL [usu with poss] The merits of something are its advantages or other good points. □ [+ of ] …the technical merits of a film.
3 VERB If someone or something merits a particular action or treatment, they deserve it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] He said he had done nothing wrong to merit a criminal investigation.
4 PHRASE If you judge something or someone on merit or on their merits , your judgment is based on what you notice when you consider them, rather than on things that you know about them from other sources. □ Everybody is selected on merit. □ Each case is judged on its merits.
meri|toc|ra|cy /me r I tɒ krəsi/ (meritocracies ) N‑VAR A meritocracy is a society or social system in which people get status or rewards because of what they achieve, rather than because of their wealth or social status.
meri|to|crat|ic /me r I təkræ t I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A meritocratic society or social system gives people status or rewards because of what they achieve, rather than because of their wealth or social position.