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 figurativelyThe 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
Gas prices have always been a conversation for many drivers, but Californians have the upper hand when discussing high gas prices.
—
USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Things have been rough all around for the last year or so in the housing world, but sellers seem to have the upper hand because of how tight supply is.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
While Moscow appears clearly to have the upper hand in its ground campaign, Kyiv’s forces have enjoyed sustained successes targeting Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, in either missile strikes or sea drone attacks.
—Andrew Carey, Maria Kostenko and Josh Pennington, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
But just as modesty seemed to be getting the upper hand, the bottom edge veered north and slyly arched over the cheeks – coy as a wink.
—Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
Workers who adapt and utilize AI tools effectively will have the upper hand.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Now, as the war enters its third year, according to much current commentary, Ukraine is in an increasingly dire situation and Russia has the upper hand.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2024
And once again, that goes back to employers having the upper hand.
—Michael Calore Lauren Goode, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2024
The audiobook vertical has still not quite found its footing and may not unless Spotify gets the upper hand over Apple and its App Store policies.
—Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 6 Feb. 2024
USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Things have been rough all around for the last year or so in the housing world, but sellers seem to have the upper hand because of how tight supply is.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
While Moscow appears clearly to have the upper hand in its ground campaign, Kyiv’s forces have enjoyed sustained successes targeting Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, in either missile strikes or sea drone attacks.
—Andrew Carey, Maria Kostenko and Josh Pennington, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
But just as modesty seemed to be getting the upper hand, the bottom edge veered north and slyly arched over the cheeks – coy as a wink.
—Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
Workers who adapt and utilize AI tools effectively will have the upper hand.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Now, as the war enters its third year, according to much current commentary, Ukraine is in an increasingly dire situation and Russia has the upper hand.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2024
And once again, that goes back to employers having the upper hand.
—Michael Calore Lauren Goode, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2024
The audiobook vertical has still not quite found its footing and may not unless Spotify gets the upper hand over Apple and its App Store policies.
—Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 6 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the upper hand.' 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 the upper hand
Cite this Entry
“The upper hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20upper%20hand. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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