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 figurativelyThe infection was gaining the upper hand and the patient's condition was deteriorating.
Examples of the upper hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sellers there have the upper hand as homes fly off the market at record speed.
—
Erin Alberty, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025
Smoke-eaters had a chance to gain the upper hand on Sunday with a brief break in the winds but the National Weather Service warned that powerful gusts could soon return.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
Vengeance Most Fowl ends with a chase scene on a boat that doesn’t quite live up to the train scene, but is nonetheless thrilling, and sees Gromit get the upper hand on Feathers, using the penguin’s own trick against him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Donate to Red Cross wildfire relief efforts Destructive wind gusts slowed late in the week, offering fire crews a moment to gain the upper hand, for now.
—Bill Disbrow, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for the upper hand 
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Erin Alberty, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025
Smoke-eaters had a chance to gain the upper hand on Sunday with a brief break in the winds but the National Weather Service warned that powerful gusts could soon return.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
Vengeance Most Fowl ends with a chase scene on a boat that doesn’t quite live up to the train scene, but is nonetheless thrilling, and sees Gromit get the upper hand on Feathers, using the penguin’s own trick against him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Donate to Red Cross wildfire relief efforts Destructive wind gusts slowed late in the week, offering fire crews a moment to gain the upper hand, for now.
—Bill Disbrow, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for the upper hand
Dictionary Entries Near the upper hand
Cite this Entry
“The upper hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20upper%20hand. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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