as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
finally gained the upper hand in the argument
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Recent Examples of upper hand
There are a limited number of sites these facilities can go, giving local governments an upper hand in negotiations.
—
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Brouk & Co Pearl Travel Jewelry Case Anything from Oprah’s Favorites list already has an upper hand in White Elephant, and this travel jewelry case proves why.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025
But the victory actually gives them an upper hand over the New England Patriots, who were enjoying their bye week.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
Benzaquen said ProphetX’s sports-only strategy gives it an upper hand over bet-on-everything rivals that also offer wagers on elections, economics and pop culture.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upper hand
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Brouk & Co Pearl Travel Jewelry Case Anything from Oprah’s Favorites list already has an upper hand in White Elephant, and this travel jewelry case proves why.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025
But the victory actually gives them an upper hand over the New England Patriots, who were enjoying their bye week.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
Benzaquen said ProphetX’s sports-only strategy gives it an upper hand over bet-on-everything rivals that also offer wagers on elections, economics and pop culture.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upper hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upper hand
Noun
-
And the country’s colossal pharma production industry is gearing up to take advantage by selling generic versions.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
-
But turning this moment into lasting advantage will require careful planning, not just short-term opportunism.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Arm's chip designs power most of the world's smartphones and are increasingly used in AI data centers and edge computing devices.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
-
On Thursday afternoon, OpenAI released a new cutting-edge coding model that the company said assisted in its own creation.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On the road - Drive in the middle lanes and stay on high ground.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
On the road - Drive in the middle lanes and stay on high ground.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upper hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upper%20hand. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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