balance
/ˈbal(ə)ns
/noun
1 [mass noun] An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady: she lost her balance and fell...
- Judo, I have been told, is all about exploiting subtle changes in balance and weight distribution.
- The vertical semi-circular canals of the human ear are very large (unlike those of apes), to enable upright balance.
- If your bridge elbow is locked, this is a sure sign of of poor balance and weight distribution.
Synonyms
stability, equilibrium, steadiness, footing
1.1 Sailing The ability of a boat to stay on course without adjustment of the rudder.Being careful about the boat's balance, she stepped into the white base of the small craft and knelt in the slightly indented hold....
- Every boat needs balance and this four has found it, despite the last-minute changes and despite the doubt.
- Right when we crest, that is the point we let off the throttle to lessen the impact and maintain control of the balance and pivot point.
2 [mass noun] A situation in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions: the obligations of political balance in broadcasting [in singular]: try to keep a balance between work and relaxation...
- What is the correct balance between avoiding discriminatory employment practices and giving good customer service and applying good old common sense?
- Reasonable and accurate perceptions, therefore, are key to striking the correct balance between work and procrastination.
- The strategic issue for a country's leadership is to decide what is the correct balance between guns and butter.
Synonyms
fairness, justice, impartiality, egalitarianism, equal opportunity;
parity, equity, equilibrium, evenness, symmetry, equipoise, correspondence, uniformity, equality, equivalence, similarity, levelness, parallelism, comparability
2.1Mental or emotional stability: the way to some kind of peace and personal balance...
- Religious certitude, for many fundamentalists, is the portal to cognitive balance and emotional stability.
- When your emotional balance stabilizes, you may think differently.
- With the sudden highs and disturbing lows, especially in the fragile lives of young celebs, mental peace and balance is hard to maintain.
Synonyms
composure, assurance, self-assurance, self-control, calmness, coolness, cool head;
ease, tranquillity, serenity, imperturbability, impassivity, equanimity, nonchalance, confidence, self-confidence, self-possession, sureness;
poise, dignity, aplomb, presence of mind, nerve, sangfroid, countenance, collectedness, suaveness, urbanity, elegance
informal cool, unflappability
2.2The relative volume of various sources of sound: the balance of the voices is good...
- The Nighthawk uses touchpad controls for power, volume and sound balance.
- It was taped at the Royal Festival Hall on the 18th of September 1983 in immaculate sound and balance.
- Many portions of Tchaikovsky's Fourth benefit from a lighter sound and more balance among sections.
2.3 Art Harmony of design and proportion.Myers has created a place where opposites meet and strike a natural, harmonious balance....
- Raphael absorbed the classical qualities of harmony, clarity and balance which were always after associated with him.
- This portrait visualized the sense of order and balance, by the organization of line, expression of the figure and his gesture.
3An apparatus for weighing, especially one with a central pivot, beam, and two scales.The atomic weight of an element - the quantity chemists could weigh with scales and balances - depends on the number of protons and neutrons, which have virtually equal masses....
- In 1669 he invented the Roberval balance which is now almost universally used for weighing scales of the balance type.
- By application of substitution weighing some systematic errors of the beam balance are omitted.
Synonyms
scale(s), weighing machine, weighbridge
3.1 (the Balance) The zodiacal sign or constellation Libra.
4A counteracting weight or force.Allow centrifugal force to provide balance while both skates tip onto their left edges in the turn....
- Disparate methods for defining force and torque balances and for calculating the mass balance of receptors therefore result.
- The three-way balance between centrifugal force, Coriolos force, and the pressure-gradient force is called the gradient flow.
Synonyms
counterbalance, equipoise, counterweight, stabilizer, compensation, recompense, ballast, makeweight
archaic countercheck
4.1 (also balance wheel) The regulating device in a clock or watch.Your clock has a floating balance mechanism....
- In particular he queries the statement made by Einstein in his famous paper of [I905], that "a balance-clock at the equator must go more slowly.
- Here he still positions his hammer on the right as in a balance wheel clock in order to allow separate winding of each train.
5 [mass noun] A predominating amount; a preponderance: the balance of opinion was that work was more important than leisure...
- The balance of economists are expecting a hike next month rather than this, but any rise could start to hit consumer spending and any slowdown in the mortgage market will hurt banks.
- The balance of rational decision-making seems to point against the link.
- The balance of trust and the preponderance of suspicion were all skewed in Taunton today.
6A figure representing the difference between credits and debits in an account; the amount of money held in an account: he accumulated a healthy balance with the savings bank...
- It therefore set off without notice the credit balance in the current account against the sum due under the loan account.
- The credit balance in your current account offsets your mortgage debt, reducing your interest bill even more.
- This reflects the myth that the trust funds' balances represent an asset.
6.1The difference between an amount due and an amount paid: the holiday balance must be paid by 8 weeks before departure...
- That means that your payments won't touch the new charges until your original balance transfer has been paid off.
- You must pay this fee even if you pay off your balance when your credit card bill arrives.
- I juggled five credit cards in college and always paid the entire balance on time each month.
Synonyms
remainder, outstanding amount, rest, residue, difference, remaining part/number/quantity
6.2 [in singular] An amount left over.To get days off, he continually dips his hands into his quickly dwindling leave balance....
- Sitting at the end of the longest of three piers, our feet dangling off the edge, we spent the balance of the hour watching it arrive.
- Any squad member violating this rule will be dismissed from his or her respective squad for the balance of that particular season.
verb [with object]
1Put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall: a mug that she balanced on her knee...
- It was balanced on top of a piece of wood, supported by 2 beer crates stacked one on the other and in between each song, he would have to reposition it because it was vibrating so much from the sound that it kept creeping towards the edge.
- It is hard not to gasp at the speed of the ascent and my admiration is more marked, and more edgy, because I know that the whole structure is balanced on a bearing the size of a small, round coffee table, like a pencil poised on the tip of its lead.
- The Lartique system comprises only a single rail - the carriages are balanced on either side so the operator has to be careful that it wasn't top heavy on one side.
Synonyms
steady, stabilize;
poise, level, prop, position
1.1 [no object] Remain in a steady position without falling: Richard balanced on the ball of one foot...
- She raised her right hand to her forehead, leaving the left to help her remain balanced on her feet.
- Its best to keep making adjustments to remain centered and balanced on all levels of consciousness, that is, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
- Now sit balanced on a Swiss ball with your legs extended and toes pointed.
2Offset or compare the value of (one thing) with another: the cost of obtaining such information needs to be balanced against its benefits...
- It was a case that cuts to the heart of rural life, in which a woman's shock and horror at seeing her beloved pet shot dead in front of her and virtually on her own doorstep was balanced against a farmer's right to protect his livestock.
- ‘The fears of a US retaliation affecting Middle East oil producers is balanced against worries about recession,’ he said.
- It should be noted that broad meritocracy might be upheld either as a complete view of social justice or as one justice value to be balanced against others.
Synonyms
weigh, weigh up, compare, evaluate, consider, assess, appraise, estimate
2.1Counteract or equal the effect or importance of: he balanced his radical remarks with more familiar declarations...
- Hadi emphasized the importance of balancing the outdoor and indoor lights to create a comfortable lighting for the eyes.
- Any proposed increase had to be balanced with the limiting effect of the ability of the poor to pay for the goods, and the likelihood of rioting if the impost was seen as too onerous.
- You are challenged to understand the importance of balancing the five balls.
Synonyms
counterbalance, balance out, cancel, cancel out, offset, even out/up, counteract, counterpoise, countervail, equalize, neutralize, nullify, compensate for, make up for
rare equilibrize
2.2Establish equal or appropriate proportions of elements in: policies that help women balance work and family life...
- The process of ensuring a weapon system is fully supportable includes appropriately addressing, integrating, and balancing each of these elements.
- Feng shui is the art of aligning complementary opposites to coexist, balancing the five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal.
- It balances all of these elements perfectly, and leaves you wanting more.
3Compare debits and credits in (an account) so as to ensure that they are equal: the law requires the council to balance its books each year...
- But the costs of benchmarking will make it almost impossible to balance the national accounts if the economy fails to return to the boom times.
- When the Spanish speakers pick up the pace and the volume, it's an auditory cue to stop reading your newspaper, balancing your checking account or writing your article.
- I'll give up my Palm Pilot once pen and paper can do all the math for balancing my checking account on its own.
3.1 [no object] (Of an account) have credits and debits equal: a surplus on the capital account to make the account balance...
- The difference is that she handles the money, keeps the chequing account balanced and the bills paid.
- Whatever the reason, a deficit will ensue if not enough money is entering the current account to balance out what is exiting.
- Nevertheless, visual debits were more than balanced out by vocal credits.
Synonyms
correspond, agree, tally, match up, concur, coincide, be in agreement, be consistent, equate, be equal, harmonize, be in harmony, be compatible, be consonant, be congruous, be in tune, dovetail, correlate
informal square
North American informal jibe
Phrases
balance of payments
balance of power
balance of trade
in the balance
on balance
strike a balance
Derivatives
balancer
/ noun ...- Professor Walt is notably abstract when he talks about the role of local power balancers.
- The reason for this optimistic prognosis by the MRF, which for 11 years now has performed the role of balancer in the Parliament, is the results of this year's census.
- It could seek global hegemony, engage selectively, or be an ‘offshore balancer.’
Origin
Middle English (in sense 3 of the noun): from Old French balance (noun), balancer (verb), based on late Latin (libra) bilanx '(balance) having two scale pans', from bi- 'twice, having two' + lanx 'scale pan'.
The original sense of balance was for the sort of scales that statues of Justice are shown holding. The word is based on late Latin (libra) bilanx ‘(balance) with two scale-pans’, composed of bi- ‘twice’, ‘having two’ and lanx ‘scale-pan’.