as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
unquestionably the company has the whip hand in negotiations with the labor union
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Recent Examples of whip hand
Microsoft’s whip hand, more than anything, else, comes down to cold hard cash.
—
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023
The failure of the ‘red wave’ to materialize means that an old-fashioned socialist will have the whip hand over health care for the next two years.
—Joel Zinberg, National Review, 30 Nov. 2022
The media have the whip hand over Democrats, and the results are a horror.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 27 Sep. 2021
Hence, despite Twitter's poison pill and a staggered board, Musk always had the whip hand.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2022
Amazon has been using the cameras to monitor social distancing between workers during the pandemic — just one of the ways in which computers hold the whip hand in this workplace.
—Sarah O'Connor, Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2022
In a chilling report released a few weeks ago about Hollywood’s subordinate relationship to Beijing, PEN America described the forces that have given China the whip hand.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 9 Sep. 2020
The president will be held responsible for whatever happens, so House Democrats have the whip hand in any negotiation.
—Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, 17 Mar. 2020
In fact, from the start the EU saw itself as holding whip hand in the talks, convinced that a failure, while bad for both sides, would be worse for the Brits.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2018
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023
The failure of the ‘red wave’ to materialize means that an old-fashioned socialist will have the whip hand over health care for the next two years.
—Joel Zinberg, National Review, 30 Nov. 2022
The media have the whip hand over Democrats, and the results are a horror.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 27 Sep. 2021
Hence, despite Twitter's poison pill and a staggered board, Musk always had the whip hand.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2022
Amazon has been using the cameras to monitor social distancing between workers during the pandemic — just one of the ways in which computers hold the whip hand in this workplace.
—Sarah O'Connor, Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2022
In a chilling report released a few weeks ago about Hollywood’s subordinate relationship to Beijing, PEN America described the forces that have given China the whip hand.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 9 Sep. 2020
The president will be held responsible for whatever happens, so House Democrats have the whip hand in any negotiation.
—Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, 17 Mar. 2020
In fact, from the start the EU saw itself as holding whip hand in the talks, convinced that a failure, while bad for both sides, would be worse for the Brits.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whip hand
Noun
-
Such facilities have flocked to the state for its competitive operating costs, low natural disaster risk and strong fiber infrastructure, among other advantages.—
Sasha Hupka,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
-
Demolish your environment for a strategic advantage.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
Fifth-year edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, who was also held back by an injury during the spring, took comfort in the support of his teammate.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The Dallas Cowboys owner wants his edge rusher suited up and playing with or without an extension in place.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Fantastic Four should have an upper hand over Superman overseas, considering that the previous films in the franchise made by 20th Century Fox did more of their business offshore.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
25 July 2025
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Many argue that spending money in a game gives an upper hand to those who don’t, resulting in an unbalanced in-game experience.—
Bartosz Skwarczek,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whip hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whip%20hand. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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