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Showing results for upper hand.
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.

Police eventually cleared the show, but Dead City had the upper hand.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Enrollment declines opened the door to maintenance staff layoffs, giving the invasive shrub the upper hand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

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

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2026

And now, experts broadly agree that when it comes to so-called AI "brains", the US has the upper hand.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Luke felt a surge of pride that he’d gotten the upper hand, that he had earned the right to decide what happened next.

From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix