the whip hand

noun

: the position of having power or being in control in a particular situation
The owners of the company had/held the whip hand in the negotiations.

Examples of the whip hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The gigantic jump in interest rates is what has handed Musk the whip hand over the banks. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2023

Dictionary Entries Near the whip hand

Cite this Entry

“The whip hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20whip%20hand. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!