as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
finally gained the upper hand in the argument
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Recent Examples of upper hand
There are a limited number of sites these facilities can go, giving local governments an upper hand in negotiations.
—
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Brouk & Co Pearl Travel Jewelry Case Anything from Oprah’s Favorites list already has an upper hand in White Elephant, and this travel jewelry case proves why.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025
But the victory actually gives them an upper hand over the New England Patriots, who were enjoying their bye week.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
Benzaquen said ProphetX’s sports-only strategy gives it an upper hand over bet-on-everything rivals that also offer wagers on elections, economics and pop culture.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upper hand
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Brouk & Co Pearl Travel Jewelry Case Anything from Oprah’s Favorites list already has an upper hand in White Elephant, and this travel jewelry case proves why.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025
But the victory actually gives them an upper hand over the New England Patriots, who were enjoying their bye week.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
Benzaquen said ProphetX’s sports-only strategy gives it an upper hand over bet-on-everything rivals that also offer wagers on elections, economics and pop culture.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upper hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upper hand
Noun
-
Arkansas climbed to a double-digit advantage, leading by as many as 14 points with two minutes left.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Dr Amgad Rezk said the process offered significant advantages for industry, with an energy-efficient and scalable approach.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rainwater tends to gather along the road edges.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Landscape architect Rick Parisi also presented mock-ups showing the foliage that will accent the ballroom grounds and the relocation of a fountain on the east edge of the White House campus.—
Arden Farhi,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On the road - Drive in the middle lanes and stay on high ground.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The Lanzador was a 2+2 seater grand tourer with Lamborghini's signature aggressive styling, and high ground clearance to allow for versatility as a daily driver.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upper hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upper%20hand. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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