the upper hand

noun

: the position of having power or being in control in a particular situation

He always has to have the upper hand.

—sometimes used figuratively

The infection was gaining the upper hand and the patient's condition was deteriorating.

Examples of the upper hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both national Democrats and Republicans are touting recent fundraising reports as evidence their candidate has the upper hand in a heated Central Valley race for Congress. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026

There was something similar last year, when Norris’s driving style would excel in lower-grip conditions, and Piastri would then enjoy the upper hand on higher-grip track surfaces thanks to his smoother approach. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Liv Morgan helped Dominik gain the upper hand, but out came Danhausen marching to the ring with a purpose. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Given the cerebellum’s importance to language processing, memory and other cognitive functions, the 2018 study’s authors reasoned that this neuroanatomical difference might have given modern humans the upper hand. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 20 July 2026

Rhymes for the upper hand

• analysand
• misunderstand
• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand