balance

noun bal·ance \ ˈba-lən(t)s \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: balance in a Sentence

Definition of balance

1 a : physical equilibrium

trouble keeping your balance on a sailboat

lost his balance and fell

a boxer kept off balance for a whole round

b : the ability to retain one's balance

Gymnasts must have a good sense of balance.

2 a : stability produced by even distribution of weight on each side of the vertical axis

when the two sides of the scale are in balance

tipped the statue off balance

b : equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements

… the balance we strike between security and freedom.
—Earl Warren

Both parties were interviewed to provide balance in the report.

the right balance of diet and exercise

c accounting : equality between the totals of the two sides of an account

3 a : an aesthetically pleasing integration of elements

achieving balance in a work of art

b grammar : the juxtaposition in writing of syntactically parallel (see ¹parallel 3c) constructions containing similar or contrasting ideas (such as "to err is human; to forgive, divine")

4 a accounting : an amount in excess especially on the credit side of an account

has a comfortable balance in the bank

You must maintain a minimum balance of $1000 in your account to avoid fees.

b : weight or force of one side in excess of another

The balance of the evidence lay on the side of the defendant.

c : something left over : remainder

answers will be given in the balance of this chapter
—R. W. Murray

5 : mental and emotional steadiness

I doubt that Thoreau would be thrown off balance by the fantastic sights and sounds of the 20th century.
—E. B. White

6 : an instrument for weighing: such as

a : a beam that is supported freely in the center and has two pans of equal weight suspended from its ends

b : a device that uses the elasticity of a spiral spring for measuring weight or force

7 : a means of judging or deciding

the balance of a free election

8 : a counterbalancing weight, force, or influence

The comedic character serves as a balance to the serious subject matter of the play.

9 : an oscillating wheel operating with a hairspring to regulate the movement of a timepiece

a watch's balance

—

balanced

play \-lən(t)st\ adjective

— in the balance or in balance

: with the fate or outcome about to be determined

our future hangs in the balance as we await his decision

— on balance

: with all things considered

the meeting went well on balance

See balance defined for English-language learners

See balance defined for kids

Examples of balance in a Sentence

She had trouble keeping her balance as the boat rocked back and forth.
The skater suddenly lost his balance and fell.
Another skater bumped into him and knocked him off balance.
Gymnasts need flexibility and balance.
She has a good sense of balance.
To provide balance in her news story, she interviewed members of both political parties.
Temperature changes could upset the delicate balance of life in the forest.
To lose weight you need the proper balance of diet and exercise.
The food had a perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors.
It's important to keep your life in balance.

Recent Examples of balance from the Web

With FedAccounts, individuals would receive that interest on their balances, impacting their lives far more directly.

— david dayen, The New Republic, "Give Everyone Government Bank Accounts," 13 June 2018
Though George wasn’t injured and regained his balance, Savannah wasn’t unscathed as she was scolded by mom Autumn immediately after.

— karen mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Savannah Strikes Again! Prince George Gets Pushed Down a Hill by His Mouth-Covering Cousin," 13 June 2018
Other charges may apply (such as normal airtime and carrier charges) and may appear on your mobile phone bill or be deducted from your prepaid account balance.

— CNN, "OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS," 12 June 2018
The Fed’s last set of projections, in March, showed that policy makers on balance expected to raise rates three times.

— justin lahart, WSJ, "Will the Fed Set Off a Recession Alarm?," 11 June 2018
The task is to keep your balance in the middle of so much.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of June 11," 11 June 2018
First, Charlotte lost her balance and got upset, but her mother Kate quickly handled the situation and comforted her daughter.

— kara nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Best Internet Reactions to Royal Children at Trooping the Colour Ceremony," 10 June 2018
Government economic experts who briefed reporters Tuesday said the tax bill and other recent legislative changes from Congress on balance worsened the condition of both programs.

— richardo alonso-zaldivar and andrew taylor, chicagotribune.com, "Medicare will run out of money in 2026, three years earlier than expected, government report says," 5 June 2018
Look, if a person as powerful as Jared Kushner takes up a cause traditionally ignored by politicians—especially those of his own ruling party—that is, on balance, a good thing.

— jay willis, GQ, "Jared Kushner's Prison Reform Efforts Are a Sham," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'balance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of balance

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *bilancia, from Late Latin bilanc-, bilanx having two scalepans, from Latin bi- + lanc-, lanx plate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 6

See Words from the same year

balance Synonyms

balance

verb

Definition of balance

balanced; balancing

transitive verb

1 a : to poise or arrange in or as if in balance

balancing a book on her head

The legislature hasn't balanced the budget in years.

b : to bring into harmony or proportion

I struggled to balance my career and family life.

a balanced diet

c : to bring to a state or position of balance (see ¹balance 2)

balanced the scales by adding a little more on one side

2 a (1) accounting : to compute the difference between the debits and credits of (an account)

balancing a company's books

(2) : to pay the amount due on : settle

sent a check to balance her account

b (1) : to arrange so that one set of elements exactly equals another

balance a mathematical equation

(2) chemistry : to complete (a chemical equation) so that the same number of atoms and electric charges of each kind appears on each side

3 a : counterbalance, offset

He served black coffee to help balance out the sweetness of the dessert.

balance one consideration against another

b : to equal or equalize in weight, number, or proportion

The good times balanced the bad times.

4 : to weigh in or as if in a balance (see ¹balance 6)

balance the profit and loss to see what had been gained

intransitive verb

1 : to become balanced or established in balance

Try balancing on one foot.

The good times and bad times balanced out.

2 : to be an equal counterbalance —often used with out

His speed will likely balance out his competitor's greater strength.

The discount and the shipping charge balance each other out.

3 : waver 1

balances and temporizes on matters that demand action

See balance defined for English-language learners

Examples of balance in a Sentence

I find it difficult to balance on one foot.
He had trouble balancing on his skis.
He helped his daughter balance on her bicycle before she started peddling.
The legislature is still trying to balance the state's budget.
He balances his checkbook every month.
Something's wrong: the books don't balance.

Recent Examples of balance from the Web

To balance the budget, city departments are being asked to save $1.4 million in salary costs through reducing overtime, leaving a position vacant, or hiring a new employee that has a lower cost of pay and benefits than an existing employee.

— gustavo solis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Chula Vista will struggle to hire more cops despite sales tax increase," 13 June 2018
Instead Jordan will need to balance its budget, but this will hurt an already struggling population.

— The Economist, "Jordan’s King Abdullah tries to calm an angry public," 6 June 2018
Jackley has been hitting Noem for failing to keep campaign promises on health care and balancing the budget while serving in the House of Representatives in Washington, while Noem has attacked Jackley for being weak on crime.

— tara golshan, Vox, "South Dakota primary election 2018: live results for governor race," 5 June 2018
When a Spanish expedition visited Easter Island in 1770, the explorers marveled at how precariously balanced the hats seemed to be atop the 33-foot stone statues.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "How does a preindustrial society put a 13-ton hat on a statue?," 5 June 2018
On Tuesday, Berk told parents Cypress needed to raise $600,000 to balance its budget.

— wilborn p. nobles iii, NOLA.com, "Orleans School Board picks interim leader for Cypress Academy," 25 May 2018
Construction workers were paid $4 a day for their services, and they were forced to navigate unsafe conditions on the job, like having to balance on planks miles above the air.

— julissa treviño, Smithsonian, "Seattle’s Iconic Space Needle Unveils New Look After $100 Million Renovation," 24 May 2018
In 2009, then-Governor Mitch Daniels cut $300 million from education to balance the budget.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Hutton: Tom Johnson departs as Wheeler's boys basketball coach to take on 'huge crisis in public education'," 20 May 2018
And balancing the budget and cutting some entitlements.

— Fox News, "Corey Lewandowski: New political role has Trump's blessing," 17 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of balance

see ¹balance

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1588

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a(1)

See Words from the same year

balance Synonyms

Synonyms

dither, falter, halt, hang back, hesitate, scruple, shilly-shally, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble (also wabble);

Antonyms

dive (in), plunge (in);

Near Antonyms

decide;

budge, stir;

advance, continue;

Related Words

haw, hem;

dally, dawdle, delay, linger, pause, procrastinate, wait;

back down, chicken (out);

consider, debate, deliberate, ponder, weigh;

oscillate, sway;

equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle;

BALANCE Defined for English Language Learners

balance

noun

Definition of balance for English Language Learners

: the state of having your weight spread equally so that you do not fall
: the ability to move or to remain in a position without losing control or falling
: a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance

balance

verb

Definition of balance for English Language Learners

: to make (something, such as a plate or your body) steady by keeping weight equal on all sides
: to adjust (an account or budget) so that the amount of money available is more than or equal to the amount of money that has been spent
: to check and make adjustments to financial records so that they are accurate

BALANCE Defined for Kids

balance

noun bal·ance \ ˈba-ləns \

Definition of balance for Students

1 : a steady position or condition

The gymnast kept her balance.

2 : something left over : remainder He spent the balance of his allowance.

3 : an instrument for weighing

4 : a state in which things occur in equal or proper amounts

a balance of work and fun

5 : the amount of money in a bank account

6 : an amount of money still owed

History for balance

The first meaning of the word balance was “an instrument used to weigh things.” Some weighing instruments have two small pans on either side, into which equal amounts must be placed to keep the beam that holds the pans from tipping. The English word balance came from a Latin word that meant literally “having two pans.” This Latin word, bilanx, is a compound of bi-, “two,” and lanx, “dish, pan of a pair of scales.”

balance

verb

Definition of balance for Students

balanced; balancing

1 : to make or keep steady : keep from falling

… their slippery … forefeet did not allow them to balance there.
—Dick King-Smith, Pigs Might Fly

2 : to make the two sides of (an account) add up to the same total

3 : to be or make equal in weight, number, or amount You must balance your schoolwork and outside activities.

Medical Dictionary

balance

noun bal·ance \ ˈbal-ən(t)s \

medical Definition of balance

1 : an instrument for weighing

2 : mental and emotional steadiness

3 a : the relation in physiology between the intake of a particular substance and its excretion —used with positive when the intake of a substance is greater than the body's excretion of it and with negative when the intake of a substance is less than the body's excretion of it — see nitrogen balance, water balance

b : the maintenance (as in laboratory cultures) of a population at about the same condition and level