upper hand

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 Some days, the good days, the kid got the upper hand. — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, "Broncos legend Ed McCaffrey talks Northern Colorado, his family and why he was “ready” to leave Valor football," 15 Dec. 2019 The fire started just before 2 p.m. Saturday in the 3600 block of Barham Boulevard and quickly scorched the hillside near the studio lot before firefighters were able to get the upper hand, officials said. — Carlos Lozano, Anchorage Daily News, "Firefighters work to contain fire in Hollywood Hills near Warner Bros. Studios lot," 10 Nov. 2019 The fire nearly doubled in size Sunday despite the numerous air tankers, dozens of bulldozers and more than 350 engine crews hopscotching across the region in an effort to get the upper hand. — Sarah Ravani, SFChronicle.com, "Kincade Fire won’t let up — homes burn as flames rage toward areas hit by 2017 disaster," 28 Oct. 2019 Samsung’s market share in China has dwindled to near insignificance as competitors like Huawei and Xiaomi got the upper hand. — Washington Post, "Samsung ends smartphone phone production in China," 4 Oct. 2019 The hosts took control of the match right from the outset thanks to their stunning pressing, and even though United's players - or more specifically Daniel James - were able to get the upper hand, Southampton still picked up a deserved point. — SI.com, "Southampton 1-1 Man Utd: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Vestergaard Snatches Draw for 10-Man Saints," 31 Aug. 2019 After a few kickouts, Lesnar got the upper hand and brutalized Rollins. — Aaron Oster, baltimoresun.com, "Seth Rollins cleanly beats Brock Lesnar, regains title at WWE Summerslam," 12 Aug. 2019 All that history-making resulted in the complete collapse of follow-up talks in Hanoi in February of this year, as hawks in the White House, led by National Security Advisor John Bolton, apparently got the upper hand. — Ryu Spaeth, The New Republic, "The Meaning of Trump’s Historic North Korean Jaunt, in One Image," 2 July 2019 You might be focused on cooperation and congeniality just when someone else is focused on getting the upper hand. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for June 10, 2019: Don’t get bogged down, Cancer; Pisces, use proven techniques," 10 June 2019

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

24 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Upper hand.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upper%20hand. Accessed 28 January 2020.

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