have the upper hand

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.

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

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2026

For industry insiders, "Sinners" may have the upper hand with SAG-AFTRA, which represents more than 160,000 members -- but that may not hold true in two weeks for the Academy Awards.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

A former official with the DoD, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that Anthropic appeared to have the upper hand in the fight.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

The bring-it-home camp seems to have the upper hand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

Whatever they faced, he’d have the upper hand as long as they were at sea.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan