upper hand

American  

noun

1. the dominating or controlling position; advantage.

   to have the upper hand in the fight.

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upper hand British  

noun

1. the position of control; advantage (esp in the phrases have or get the upper hand )

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upper hand Idioms  

1. Also, whip hand. A dominating or controlling position, as in Once you let Jeff get the upper hand there'll be no stopping him, or When it comes to checkers, my son-in-law generally has the whip hand. The first term alludes to an ancient game in which each player in turn grasps a stick with one hand, beginning from the bottom, and the last who can put his hand at the top wins. Its figurative use dates from the late 1400s. The variant alludes to the driver who holds the whip in a horse-drawn vehicle; it was being used figuratively by the late 1600s.

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Etymology

Origin of upper hand

First recorded in 1475–85

Example Sentences

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

From Slate • Apr. 8, 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

It's a game for us to play against an opponent that's had the upper hand on us for years.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 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

Blanca was always calm, especially when she had the upper hand.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Related Words

• advantage
• dominance
• leverage
• superiority
• supremacy