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Definitions

upper hand

NOUN
major advantage
Synonyms
STRONGEST
advantage dominance leverage superiority supremacy
WEAK
authority benefit break control driver's seat edge favor gain help improvement lead leg up rule trump hand whip hand
Antonyms
STRONGEST
disadvantage subservience

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And the Iranians will come into the talks thinking they have the upper hand.

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2026

But after telling his corner he had hurt his hip, Murphy struggled to defend takedowns like he had before and Evloev gained the upper hand in the closing stages.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

As this battle plays out, some experts say Anthropic would probably have an upper hand in court.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Institutional buyers currently hold the upper hand, using their deep due diligence skills to identify high-quality holdings that can be hidden by broader market volatility, the person added.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Inside, the woman had got the upper hand.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez