as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
unquestionably the company has the whip hand in negotiations with the labor union
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Recent Examples of whip hand
The understandable view is that, with the NATO alliance facing its biggest crisis in decades and transatlantic unity potentially splintering, support in the West for Ukraine’s war effort is sure to falter, handing Moscow an even stronger whip hand on the battlefield.
—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
Microsoft’s whip hand, more than anything, else, comes down to cold hard cash.
—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
19 Nov. 2023
The failure of the ‘red wave’ to materialize means that an old-fashioned socialist will have the whip hand over health care for the next two years.
—
Joel Zinberg,
National Review,
30 Nov. 2022
Amazon has been using the cameras to monitor social distancing between workers during the pandemic — just one of the ways in which computers hold the whip hand in this workplace.
—
Sarah O'Connor,
Ars Technica,
19 Mar. 2022
The president will be held responsible for whatever happens, so House Democrats have the whip hand in any negotiation.
—
Ryan Cooper,
TheWeek,
17 Mar. 2020
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
Microsoft’s whip hand, more than anything, else, comes down to cold hard cash.
—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
19 Nov. 2023
The failure of the ‘red wave’ to materialize means that an old-fashioned socialist will have the whip hand over health care for the next two years.
—
Joel Zinberg,
National Review,
30 Nov. 2022
Amazon has been using the cameras to monitor social distancing between workers during the pandemic — just one of the ways in which computers hold the whip hand in this workplace.
—
Sarah O'Connor,
Ars Technica,
19 Mar. 2022
The president will be held responsible for whatever happens, so House Democrats have the whip hand in any negotiation.
—
Ryan Cooper,
TheWeek,
17 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whip hand
Noun
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Dalal said their son played there daily with his friends, taking advantage of a club policy that allows children under five to enter without a membership.
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The comedian, 38, best known for his role as the acerbic gay best friend Elliott Goss in HBO’s Search Party, chose our meeting place to take advantage of the balmy late-May weather and to say goodbye to the neighborhood.
Noun
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The Americans came out energized in the second half and a Berhalter banger from the edge of the penalty area tied it up 2-2 in the 49th minute.
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The Samurai Blue have the edge on shots, 2-1, but Sweden has the lone shot on target so far through 25 minutes.
Noun
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But Ukraine looks more and more likely to be entering the next round of negotiations with a strong upper hand.
-
The first one will give one team an upper hand, but obviously can’t dictate the entire series.
Cite this Entry
“Whip hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whip%20hand. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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