upper hand

noun

Definition of upper hand

: mastery, advantage, control was determined not to let the opposition get the upper hand

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Examples of upper hand in a Sentence

finally gained the upper hand in the argument

Recent Examples on the Web Engaging with the Biden team on policies to curb emissions, too, could give biofuels producers the upper hand in their conflict with the oil industry. — Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, "After spending Trump years fighting Big Oil, biofuels industry rallies against electric car mandates under Biden," 9 Dec. 2020 Peronism, a movement born out of Juan Peron’s first presidency in 1946, typically favors interventionist policies that give workers the upper hand over businesses. — Patrick Gillespie, Bloomberg.com, "Cracks Surface in Argentina’s Ruling Coalition as Crisis Deepens," 16 Oct. 2020 Local political science experts, however, still give Spartz the upper hand. — Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, "Republican McCormick endorses another Democrat, this time in tight congressional race," 8 Oct. 2020 And my three-year-old son has quickly learned that work calls give him the upper hand. — Kathryn Vasel, CNN, "The buyouts are here," 7 July 2020 Buyers are competing for a limited number of homes, so sellers have the upper hand. — Elizabeth Renter Nerdwallet, Star Tribune, "What hopeful home buyers will need to succeed in 2021," 30 Jan. 2021 The days when organizations had the upper hand, when the Cowboys drafted and identified and changed out quarterbacks seemingly at will, are done. — Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, "The days of good deals on NFL QBs are over, and not just in Dallas," 29 Jan. 2021 In an intense game, neither team gained much of an advantage through the first three-plus quarters, but McMain gained the upper hand down the stretch. — Josh Preston Contributing Writer, NOLA.com, "Boys basketball: McMain pulls away from Booker T. Washington in final minutes," 11 Jan. 2021 On November 25th Bertelsmann gained the upper hand. — The Economist, "Book-binding Bertelsmann snags Simon & Schuster," 25 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upper hand.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Upper hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upper%20hand. Accessed 4 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for upper hand

upper hand

noun

Kids Definition of upper hand

: advantage sense 2

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