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
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
In fact, from the start the EU saw itself as holding whip hand in the talks, convinced that a failure, while bad for both sides, would be worse for the Brits.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2018
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
In fact, from the start the EU saw itself as holding whip hand in the talks, convinced that a failure, while bad for both sides, would be worse for the Brits.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whip hand
Noun
-
The Packers should have the advantage in the contest, as Arizona backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett is set to start in Week 7 with Kyler Murray sidelined for a second consecutive game due to a foot sprain.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Regardless, the Avs finished the second period with 30 shot attempts (after 29 in the first) and a two-goal advantage.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Jayden Fraser added a two-point rush, giving his team an 8-7 edge at intermission.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) attempted to move forward with a vote on a full-year Defense appropriations bill on Thursday to gain some favor with Senate Democrats on the edge about the shutdown.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His quickness often gives him an upper hand to wall off lanes or square off rushers (zero sacks allowed).—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Winged munition autonomously detects moving targets Raytheon also highlighted that the StormBreaker smart weapon gives operators an upper hand in combat by hitting moving targets in some of the worst weather conditions.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whip hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whip%20hand. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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