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
-
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
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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
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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
-
This approach could transform potential adversaries into advocates, giving leadership an upper hand when activist pressure mounts.—
Sam Wolf,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Because with Ben at the Helm(rath), there’s a significant upper hand.—
Keith Stewart,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whip hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whip%20hand. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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