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
-
After killing a penalty early in the middle frame, Minnesota pulled even with another man-advantage goal when Joel Eriksson Ek snapped in the rebound of a Kaprizov shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Perry dribbled into a 15-footer in the short corner to help UCLA build a double-digit advantage at halftime.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Its Blackwell architecture sets the standard for raw performance, and its software ecosystem with CUDA remains a formidable competitive edge.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Yang Minghan, a crew member of the Zunyi, said in the report that the Type 055 is a new-type destroyer equipped with a host of advanced new systems, boasting cutting-edge performance.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Whip hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whip%20hand. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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