hold (all/all of) the cards
idiom
: to be in control of a situation and have the power to make decisions
It's your decision. You're holding all the cards.
Examples of hold (all/all of) the cards in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There was a hooded viewer to look through, and extended on a T-junction about 6 inches away was a stand with wire frames to hold the cards, which were called stereographs.
—
Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024
House Democrats called on Gov. Eric Holcomb and their Republican colleagues, who hold all the cards, to keep the program intact and implement other transparency measures.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Feb. 2024
The durable version includes a handy clip to hold all the cards and clip them to a beach bag or backpack.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 21 Nov. 2023
But to Roxana Rivera, who leads SEIU 32BJ in Massachusetts, the ballot initiative focused on the right to organize is just another way to give drivers rights and standing to negotiate with massive companies that — as the gig-driver industry is currently structured — hold all the cards.
—Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2023
Somehow your husband seems to hold all the cards here --both financially and emotionally.
—Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2023
The negotiations are one-sided; the French, who hold all the cards, want surrender on their terms.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Nov. 2022
In music negotiations, superstars usually hold all the cards.
—Neil Shah, WSJ, 24 Feb. 2021
When Americans next descend into irrational panic and overload our paper-goods supply chains, whoever holds the durable cloth household items will hold all the cards.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2020
Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024
House Democrats called on Gov. Eric Holcomb and their Republican colleagues, who hold all the cards, to keep the program intact and implement other transparency measures.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Feb. 2024
The durable version includes a handy clip to hold all the cards and clip them to a beach bag or backpack.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 21 Nov. 2023
But to Roxana Rivera, who leads SEIU 32BJ in Massachusetts, the ballot initiative focused on the right to organize is just another way to give drivers rights and standing to negotiate with massive companies that — as the gig-driver industry is currently structured — hold all the cards.
—Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2023
Somehow your husband seems to hold all the cards here --both financially and emotionally.
—Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2023
The negotiations are one-sided; the French, who hold all the cards, want surrender on their terms.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Nov. 2022
In music negotiations, superstars usually hold all the cards.
—Neil Shah, WSJ, 24 Feb. 2021
When Americans next descend into irrational panic and overload our paper-goods supply chains, whoever holds the durable cloth household items will hold all the cards.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold (all/all of) the cards.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hold (all/all of) the cards
Cite this Entry
“Hold (all/all of) the cards.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20%28all%2Fall%20of%29%20the%20cards. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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