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

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

He has gained the upper hand over Iran’s president and other top leaders, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

I guess the cap’n seent who had the upper hand here and changed his attitude.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis