the whip hand
noun
: the position of having power or being in control in a particular situation
The owners of the company had/held the whip hand in the negotiations.
Examples of the whip hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For most of the second Trump administration, the anti-interventionist faction has held the whip hand.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
The gigantic jump in interest rates is what has handed Musk the whip hand over the banks.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
The gigantic jump in interest rates is what has handed Musk the whip hand over the banks.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2023
Cite this Entry
“The whip hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20whip%20hand. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
