as in offset
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
hard work can often be a counterweight to modest intelligence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counterweight
In December, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland — motivated by the territory’s strategic position along the Red Sea as a potential counterweight to Iran and the Houthis, and framed by Netanyahu as being in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.
—
Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Xi’s unwillingness or inability to intervene in events so far from home seems to be harming China’s reputation as a geopolitical counterweight to the United States.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterweight
Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Xi’s unwillingness or inability to intervene in events so far from home seems to be harming China’s reputation as a geopolitical counterweight to the United States.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterweight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterweight
Noun
-
Transfer dough to prepared pan and, using an offset spatula lightly coated with nonstick spray, spread into an even layer, working all the way to the edges.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
-
When the offset bulbs are sending up stems, and there is too much competition for space and resources, the patch of bulbs will produce fewer, or smaller, flowers than before.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At the counter, the girls realized no one had brought money.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
At the counter, Sakeena was slicing slabs of goat meat into small cubes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, balance ambition with perspective.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Interiors by Studio Architetto Mar, balance historic character with refined updates, highlighted by two reception rooms, a formal dining room, and a spacious chef’s kitchen dressed in decorative wallpaper.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Analysis of the Charter The Adelphi Charter offers specific policy proposals across the IP spectrum and develops a counterbalance to TRIPS and TRIPS-Plus agreements to be used as guidelines for future IP reform.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This configuration purportedly allows the outer MLE to act as a counterbalance, helping prevent excessive tilt, while the inner MLE avoids contact with the road.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Paint can also be a powerful corrective.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Mar. 2026
-
These are all refreshing correctives to the texts that previously stood in for contemporary Japan internationally, including any number of small volumes about magical cafés, bookshops, or libraries, often with cats on their covers.—
Sarah Chihaya,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterweight. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
