balance beam

noun

1

: a narrow wooden beam supported in a horizontal position approximately four feet above the floor and used for balancing feats in gymnastics

2

: an event in gymnastics competition in which the balance beam is used

Examples of balance beam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though Rivera was strong on balance beam and floor, posting the highest mark on beam and the third-best on floor, a disastrous bar routine took the Olympian out of the gold medal race. —Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

As a result, blue state leaders in California and elsewhere have been walking a balance beam between supporting the right to protest and condemning any violence, while also navigating debate on issues that have long been weak points for the party. —Julia Mueller, The Hill, 15 June 2025

One of them is a nerve-racking, crosscutting game of misdirection and accumulating danger atop a balance beam. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 19 May 2025

Dreier put up career high scores on the uneven bars (8.35), balance beam (8.5) and floor exercise (8.5). —Todd Abeln, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for balance beam

• seriatim
• abeam
• airstream
• bloodstream
• daydream
• downstream
• esteem
• extreme
• grapheme
• hakim
• hornbeam
• lexeme

Kids Definition

balance beam

noun

: a narrow wooden beam supported in a horizontal position above the floor and used for balancing feats in gymnastics