the upper hand

noun

: the position of having power or being in control in a particular situation
He always has to have the upper hand.
—sometimes used figuratively
The infection was gaining the upper hand and the patient's condition was deteriorating.

Examples of the upper hand in a Sentence

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Milwaukee took the opener of the World Series and now has the upper hand. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 On paper, Klobuchar has the upper hand as Demuth attempts to become the first Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota in decades. — Conor Wight, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Firefighters were able to quickly gain the upper hand on the Bryson fire, preventing it from becoming the next Palisades or Woolsey fire. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Instead, the prisoners challenged the guards and gained the upper hand. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the upper hand

Rhymes for the upper hand

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Browse Nearby Words

the upper crust
the upper hand
the upshot
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Cite this Entry

“The upper hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20upper%20hand. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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